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Comedy Shows
Christina Gizzo
Minds Matter Magazine Volume II Issue I Arts & Media
a mental illness or cognitive difference can
infiltrate almost every facet of one’s life. This
downplays what can be the intense and consuming
struggle that can occur. The illnesses
these characters have are portrayed as mere
parts of their personalities—harmless traits
that makes them cute, quirky, interesting,
even funny. This leads to both trivialization
of the illness itself, and at the same time
establishes that these tendencies are socially
desired. Would we love Sheldon just as much
is he wasn’t a stubborn, awkward genius, or
Monica if she wasn’t hypersensitive about
her apartment? These romanticized portrayals
send the message that tendencies drawn
from mental illness or cognitive differences
are interesting and loveable; they make them
appear desirable.
“he accepts his cognitive
differences as part of his identity
rather than viewing it as a
pathology.”
The common use of OCD as an adjective
to describe being particular about
something perfectly illustrates this effect. [6] In
an article published in 2012, Jeff Szymanski,
Executive Director of the International OCD
Foundation, outlines an important difference
between obsessive as a personality trait,
versus an actual disorder, in the sense that
the former is a matter of personal preference,
while the latter affects one’s ability to function.
[7] Szymanski acknowledges the danger
behind casually claiming to have OCD, without
addressing the life-altering loss of
function that characterizes the disorder, in
stating, “You’re now mixing a distressing
psychological disorder with a personality preference,
and when you mix them, you lose the
severity of the disorder.” [7]
On a similar note, by linking mental
illness or cognitive difference with success
while simultaneously downplaying its severity,
romanticization creates unrealistic representations.
In this case, it is the painful reality
of living with a psychological difference made
to appear easy. Portraying Sheldon Cooper as
a high achiever may attract expectations of
how one should be able to cope with mental
illness, while what has been found in human
psychology, and the internal struggle Sheldon
should logically face, is ignored. With high
expectations often comes a desire to continually
excel, [8] and failing to meet these expectations
may then result in perceived inferiority.
[9] This can then, of course, lead to very
negative thinking. [9] This effect is particularly
seen among individuals that have high expectations
for themselves, and encounter minor
setbacks, [10] worsened by the fact that high
achievers can often have little resilience, and
inability to deal with failure. [9] In portraying
Sheldon as an effortlessly successful achiever,
viewers may draw conclusions about how
someone with mental illness should be able
to function.
In each of these aspects of inaccurate
portrayals, perhaps the most dangerous
result is the potential for those who should
reach out for professional help to refrain from
doing so. If symptoms of mental illness make
one loveable and interesting, why would one
ever want to be treated, and potentially lose
them? As well, if one would be socially
welcomed and admired for possessing such
‘traits,’ what makes seeking help anything but
a cry for attention, or worse, an overreaction?
And, as in Sheldon’s case, if one has a mental
illness but maintains a high level of success,
what is the need for seeking help?
“ Misinformation fuels stigma,
and prevents the proper
comprehension of what is really
needed to help.”
Multiple studies have shown that negative
media portrayals of mental illness can
decrease help-seeking behaviour due to increased
stigma. [11, 12] Despite researchers and
those in the field of psychology recommending
positive representations of mental illness
to help combat this, misinformation and
exaggeration are still in these more positive
stereotypes, which may also lead to increased
stigma. [12, 13] Thus, it can be inferred that the
positive portrayals that might increase stigma
might also lead to a decrease in help-seeking
behavior. Although this effect has not been
explicitly studied, it is a worthwhile topic to
explore that has important social implications.
In a mass literature review on stigma
and its relation to help-seeking behaviours,
German scientists from Leipzig University
found that although destigmatization may
lead to increased readiness to seek help, other
aspects of progression of awareness, such
as accurate knowledge about mental illness
and cognitive difference, seem to be just as
important in contributing to increasing
help-seeking behavior. [14] Thus, regardless of
whether the framing of the portrayal is positive
or negative, the effect is still the same—
that is, the problem of misinformation still
exists. If those with a mental illness are being
fed these inaccurate portrayals and exaggerations,
they are being misinformed about what
actually comprises a mental illness. Misinformation
fuels stigma, and prevents the proper
comprehension of what is really needed to
help.
And yet, the media can be a crucial ally
in a pivotal movement to help increase education
and awareness, and help those who
live with mental illness seek the help they
need. [12] Thus, what is needed is for the media
to incorporate the lived experiences of those
with mental illness or cognitive difference,
and put these individuals at the forefront of
the conversation. In addition, media sources
may stress the implications that some current
media representations can have, and how
more accurate portrayals can improve public
perception, and hence the lives of those living
with mental illness or cognitive difference.
This would lead to a wider shift in accurate
portrayals that would better educate, further
inform, and would help those who need to
seek professional help to actually do so once
they recognize the scope and severity of the
issues they are living with.
Moving forward, the aim should be to
depict the reality of circumstances even within
comedy series and the like, as the failure
to do so could have negative consequences.
What this means is rewriting the script - that
is, taking into account lived experiences and
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