Mental Health In the Media
By Daphney Morgan
From tabloids, to reality television shows, to talk shows, mental health awareness seems to be the newest trend in Hollywood.
To some people, mental illness means someone is “crazy.” Some types of media portray that image. Once pop star icon, now known for her outrageous behavior, Britney Spears has recently been in the news with her child custody court case and other bizarre behaviors ranging from shaving her head, drug use/abuse charges, a stand off with police authorities while holding her children at her house, and fleeing to Mexico with new beau. She covers tabloids with her every move. But let’s not forget there is a real person struggling with some serious issues. Celebrities are people too, and mental illness is a lot more common than you might think. In a given year, approximately 1 in 4 adults in America suffer from a mental disorder . That is 57.7 Million people according to the 2004 census.
Individuals, families and couples flock to be on Dr. Phil McGraw’s program to help them “get real” and face the underlying problems that cause their behaviors. Dr. Phil brought therapy into the public eye by having his clients participate in his show to discuss their problems so others could learn about them.
Shows like the newest reality series on VH1, Celebrity Rehab, or Intervention on A&E show the harsh reality of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction. On Celebrity Rehab, individuals agreed to document their process with their addictions by entering treatment with former radio talk show host Dr. Drew. From intake to detox to group, individual and family counseling these famous people known for their Hollywood status expose themselves in front of millions of young viewers.
Intervention is the other reality show named after a part of the treatment process where the individual who is in need of treatment is confronted to attempt to convince them their behavior is unhealthy and they need professional help. Watching the stories of the people who struggle to admit they have a problem with drugs, alcohol and other compulsive behavior such as eating disorders is sad, but can be applied to many of our lives with statistics these days. The alarming amount of people who struggle with these problems exist in many families and friends of ours.
As much as it is entertaining to watch these shows, it is educational in helping to understand both sides of these addictions and disorders. These television series show the strong emotions involved with the struggle of living with disorders and the stress felt by the everyday person and celebrities. Through this latest trend of therapy and treatment in Hollywood, my hope is that 1 out of 4 people in America that have a mental disorder take charge of their disorders and seek treatment.
