TV glamorizes mental illness and underestimates prejudice

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I don't usually watch shows like Perception and the new Black Box, but when I do, like today, I get upset. Yeah, it's great that these shows depict successful people who are mentally ill, and it does show some of the downsides to things, but not all.

The thing is that the guy in one show is a cop, and the girl in the other one is a doctor. Personally, I know that police forces require psych evaluations that a schizophrenic would not pass, and someone with bi-polar is unlikely to last in med school, not because of intellect, but because perfect competence is written into school codes. Trust me, I have looked into it.

Overall, I feel like in the process of depicting a fanciful and over-exaggerated idea of mental illness, the media is giving some people a false sense of hope in pursuing careers that are usually off limits legally to someone with a diagnosis.

Black Box also downplays art as a "real" career, which is sad because the mentally ill often benefit from it and it is usually a less restrictive and more open career pathway.

What do you guys think?

I think the media in general does a cruddy job of portraying mental illness. Many people don't know a whole lot about the illnesses, so when they attempt to portray it in the media, it doesn't work. This adds to the stigmas we face, because if they aren't portrayed correctly (and we know most people won't research it, let's be honest), that's what they think it is.

It's a rough world we live in.

i practiced medicine for nine years after a bipolar diagnosis. asperger's, not bipolar, ended my career. i also know two folks with schizophrenia who practice medicine.

Television only serves one purpose: entertainment

As Monsterchic said, people should use common sense far more, especially when it comes to fictional dramas.

Yes, I agree, it is rather irritating that outside of documentaries*, mental conditions are hardly ever depicted properly. Writers and producers often go for the most general stereotypes to appeal (and possibly not to confuse or scare) the broadest audiences possible. Or it's just too expensive to actually research things properly. Or more harshly, the truth is simply quite boring.

But to quote David Duchovny, "the truth is out there." People who are genuinely interested will seek information and experience out and formulate their conclusions and opinions on facts, not on what the tv tells them to think. Such is the way of the world: the masses will entertained, the enlightened will laugh in disdain. Life's too short to worry. Ignore what irritates and revel in what's pleasurable.

* even then, a debate-worthy topic in itself.

It seems to me that the internet does this as well. It is disturbing.

Psyche profiles aren't foolproof, and sometimes a place will hire someone IN SPITE OF how they perform on a test.

Still, the poison of TV portrays strange and quirky personalities (if not utterly messed up) as being able to be part of an elite team, and while it might happen 0.0001% of the time in real life, it is not common at all. Gives those of us who are considered "strange and quirky" false hope that we can have the same quality of life.