Dear Hollywood Directors,
It is unfortunate that people suffering from mental health have to endure stigma in this day and age and ignorance seems to thrive especially when it comes to this issue. The media and especially Hollywood has always projected people with mental disorders as problematic, dangerous and not fit to integrate with the rest of the society. What is more, the media has created stereotypes depicting mental health patients as not deserving to lead healthy lives. For instance, in the article Stigma: What Hollywood and the Media Teach Us About Mental Illness, Richard A. Friedman paints a sad picture of how Hollywood has contributed creating a gross picture of mental ill patients, targeting to make sales and not highlight the problem in sincerity. The intention of this letter is to let Hollywood film makers to know that mental health is not as dangerous as they make it look, and that mental health patients can lead healthy lives if they are properly handled by members of their immediate families and communities.
It is unfortunate that society and particularly the media fail to acknowledge the fact that there are millions of Americans living with mental health problems, yet they do not go on a rampage, beating people, terrifying children and destroying property. In the event that one of these patients such as Seung- Hui Cho did that, it does not mean that everyone who is battling a mental condition will engage in such deeds! It is not right that mentally ill patients are shunned from their communities simply because Hollywood makes the masses to think they are not fit enough to lead normal lives. In the article Mental Illness: How the MEDIA Contributes to Its Stigma, Jarune Uwujaren tells of how movies such as Psycho contrinute to creating more stigma. Instead movie directors should help create awareness and sensitize people on how to accommodate mental health patients. Stigma makes the patients feel discriminated and isolated. Such acts make the situation worse because they do not offer any solution. The media is not doing them any justice and instead of it highlighting their problems it is making the situation worse for them.
I believe you understand my views and that of very many other sympathizers of mental health patients. My wish is that the media takes a different approach to this issue and at least show how millions of other mental health patients lead peaceful lives in their communities and that they get along very well with their families, friends, and neighbors. Statistics show that for every four Americans one is suffering from mental illness. That means there are a whole lot more of such patients out there. It is not every day that these patients attack people. They do not exhibit negative behavior every day as the media puts it. What that means is that it is possible to suffer from mental health problems yet become a law abiding citizen who knows that attacking other people is wrong and unacceptable.
I would love to see Hollywood and the wider American society show some love to mental health patients, not ridicule! The media should demystify the issue and influence the public into accommodating these patients. Some of these patients are open about their conditions and could inspire a lot of Americans who do not know how best to go about their problems. The one thing that I am sure about is that a lot of these patients yearn for love and attention but they do not receive it because Hollywood has made them look like little devils roaming the streets when they are not.
I would like to finish off by reminding society and the media that these mental patients are our siblings, parents, aunties, uncles and grandparents. They need help, love and care and not prejudice. Their conditions can be treated or managed, and they might get healed if possible. Everyone needs to take a step of faith and show mental health patients that they are special and can lead normal lives like the rest of us. But above all the media needs to highlight their plight and call for the rest of the society to embrace them for who they are and not present misleading information by only giving misleading and negative stories about mental health patients. That will go a long way into giving them a sense of belonging.
