Not surprisingly, psychiatrists, mental health professionals, advocacy groups, and people with mental illness get upset whenever the entertainment media portray persons with mental illness in an unfavorable light. The reason is that such depictions often prompt the public to form inaccurate impressions of what persons with mental illnesses are like and of whether their illnesses can be successfully treated.

But how common are such negative and stigmatizing portrayals, really? Apparently fairly widespread, if a survey recently conducted by the Mental Health America reflects the current state of affairs.

Approximately 1,000 American adults were surveyed to learn how they perceive the representation of persons with mental illnesses on television and in the movies.

Of the survey’s respondents about half believed that persons with mental illness are often portrayed on television and in the movies as drug addicts, alcoholics, and criminals. Forty-three percent said that persons with mental illness are often represented as violent, sad, or lonely; 37 percent indicated that such individuals are often depicted as scary and dangerous; and 33 perecnt stated that such persons are often shown as out-of-control or homeless.

In contrast, only 18 percent of those surveyed believed that television and the movies frequently portray persons with mental disorders as being or capable of being rehabilitated, and just 7 percent were of the opinion that the entertainment media often depict those with mental illness as being successfully treated.