Impact of Media on Mental Health - Essay Sample

Introduction

Media plays a fundamental and influential role in shaping the attitude of people about the world. It shapes the ideas and ways in which individuals understand those around them. Mass media, in particular, is one of the most influential tools in developed societies as a way of relaying information, education, entertainment, news, and promotional messages to the public. Media includes all channels of broadcasting such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, emails, and the internet as the main means of communication. On average, people spend 25 hours of the time watching television per week (Wahl, 2014) as well as get time for cinema, radio, newspapers and maintain their online presence through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. As such, media is part and puzzle of everyday life. However, there is a negative correlation between media and mental health. Media has a negative implication on mental health victims because of the inaccurate and negative portrayals of mental health issues. Inaccurate information about mental illness in the media leads to misunderstandings even when the portrayal of a mental health victim is positive (Morris, 2006). Therefore, media leads to mental health stigma through inaccurate, exaggerated, and the comical representation of individuals with psychiatric disorders contributing to the negative perception of mental illness.

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Stigmatization is one of the biggest challenges affecting the mental health community in the current day and age. Unlike physical ailments, numerous mental problems are associated with stigma. Dealing with stigma, whether it is from the society or self-directed can be debilitating and disrupt the daily living (Morris, 2006). Mentally ill individuals continue to receive negative attention in society due to prejudice and fear due to the misconceptions spread by the media (Morris, 2006). As a result, people suffering from mental illness face exclusion from society and pushed to the fringes. Since the media creates a sense of a virtual world isolated from the real world, people who spend a lot of time on television, movies, and social networks may perceive the world in terms of the principles, imagery, and behavior according to the cultivation theory (McLeod & Wright, 2010). In other words, the cultivation theory stipulates that people who consume a lot of mass media may assume a media worldview in relation to mental health. The media promotes stereotypes and images that provide a false connection between violence and mental illness. Furthermore, mentally people are presented as extremely violent and labeled as "crazy" leading to the stigma surrounding mental health challenges (Wahl, 2014).

According to the social learning theory, people not only learn through direct experiences but also via observation (McLeod & Wright, 2010). Media can override people's innate experiences on how they view mental illness. The presentation of force information about mental disorders has further being enforced through ignorance, prejudice, and discrimination as a result of stigma. Stigmatization deprives victims of mental illness of their dignity and prevents them from fully engaging with society. For example, television is the most powerful tool for framing public awareness and consciousness. The portrayal of people affected by mental illness as mad or crazy has fueled the perception of violence. However, research indicates that mentally ill individuals are more likely to be victims of violence twice as much as ordinary people (Morris, 2006).

Media spreads the stereotype that mentally ill persons are social outcasts and drain on the community. Television, news, and film programming separate the mentally challenged from the general fabric of society. Furthermore, victims of mental health problems are portrayed as homeless, unemployed, and without relatives or friends. In other words, the media stipulates that mental health victims lack the social markers of identity. Therefore, such a representation is one-dimensional leading to the stereotype that these individuals are subhuman. Moreover, the stereotype digs deeper into mental health issues and presents the illness in totality in the sense that victims are different from others. Besides, the media spreads information that mentally ill people are overly dependent on others, draining the society resources of addressing mental illness. Nevertheless, as opposed to such stereotypes, mentally ill people are not incapable of being productive members of society. Mental illness is treatable and curable depending on the type of disorder and such people can work and contribute to the growth of society.

On the other hand, social media has been linked to increased cases of mental health challenges especially in adolescents and young adults. Technological advancement has led to the increased use of new technology such as personal computers, tablets, and smartphones to access the internet coupled with the popularity of social networking sites and apps. People are more interconnected than ever before. Recent studies have associated the prolonged use of social media with anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem (Arntfield & Swart, 2018). Photo-sharing platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have increased the frequency of social comparisons among adolescents and young adults. However, social comparisons have a negative implication on the mental well-being of social media users. Adolescents and teenagers engage in more comparisons than older adults because they are a development stage where they try to explore their place among peers. Navigating new social environments and undertaking self-evaluations may lead to the development of low self-esteem (Arntfield & Swart, 2018). Since adolescents experience a sense of identity validation, the lack of followers or likes or even better-looking pictures based on social comparison has been associated with the rise of anxiety and depression. The feeling of low self-worth among young adults and adolescents also leads to low social interaction, nurturing loneliness that further translates to depression (Arntfield & Swart, 2018). Adolescents experience increased anxiety stemming from the pressure to quickly respond to online conversation and having perfect pictures online. Likewise, the growing influence of cyberbullying has had a tremendous consequence on the mental health of social media users. Slut-shaming and other means of bullying have been linked to stress, anxiety, and depression among teenagers. Studies indicate that anxiety and depression are the leading cause of suicide among young adults and teenagers (Arntfield & Swart, 2018).

Conclusion

Conclusively, media has a tremendous ability to change the perception and popular opinions of people due to its unique capability to reach. The constant exposure to media shapes the understandings and ideas of people on the various individual and social issues. In particular, the media has a negative implication on mental and psychiatric disorders. The misappropriation of information leads to inaccurate communication that reinforces stereotypes, stigmatization, beliefs, and myths about mental health. Mental health disorders are rising in the society but the media has portrayed a negative perception of mental well-being. The mentally ill are portrayed as homeless, violent, disengaged from society, and mad or crazy. In fact, the mentally ill have a high risk of experiencing violence than people without mental health challenges. Nevertheless, such misinformation has led to prejudice, discrimination, and exclusion of mentally ill people from society. As a result, such implications affect the dignity and self-worth of people with mental illness. The media should play an educative role by creating awareness about the risks, causative factors, and treatment of mental disorders instead of conveying negative stereotypes that alter people's perception of mental health. The mentally ill have the potential to contribute positively to society and should be treated with love and care. It is a high time that media spreads a positive message about mental health for the well-being of the society at large.

References

Arntfield, M., & Swart, J. (2018). Social Media and Mental Health: Depression, Predators, and Personality Disorders.

McLeod, J. D., & Wright, E. R. (2010). The Sociology of Mental Illness: A Comprehensive Reader. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, USA.

Morris, G. (2006). Mental Health Issues and the Media: An Introduction for Health Professionals. London, England: Routledge.

Wahl, O. (2014). Mental Illness and the Media. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society, 1592-1595. Doi:10.1002/9781118410868.wbehibs062