Media Myths: 30 Things People Believe Are Incorrectly Portrayed As Stigmatized

We got in touch with the author of the post, and they were kind enough to tell us more about it. "I had this question come to mind while I was developing the storyline for a detective novel I'm planning to write," Stefan_Reevezsky explained to Bored Panda. "The protagonist in my story faces trial based on allegations concocted by a third-party journalist investigator."

The Redditor elaborated on their thought process, saying, "As I was brainstorming, the word 'stigma' popped up frequently, leading me to realize that many things portrayed as 'unacceptable' in popular media are actually mundane in real society."

"Take tattoos or piercings, for example. Despite articles claiming they're stigmatized, there's a mainstream culture around them, and most people outside of it simply don't care, except for certain workplace norms," the Reddit user said.

"The same goes for being gay, short, a single mother, a blue-collar worker, or dealing with depression or other mental health issues."

Stefan_Reevezsky tried to find similar threads on Reddit but they couldn't, so they decided to just post the question themselves and see what everyone thinks.

The responses were diverse, but from that the author of the post has gathered, "Western media tends to portray many things as stigmatized because people, especially young ones, seek reassurance by finding 'dragons to slay.'"

"What better dragon than a stigma surrounding something you identify with or enjoy? It fits into our heavily labeled culture, where fighting for a label becomes a narrative akin to classic Hollywood underdog stories. People who lack substantial identity often cling to these labels, supporting media that reinforces their perceived battles," the Redditor added.

"It struck me as odd that no one had posed this question before, considering the multitude of responses I received. Perhaps it's because admitting that some stigmas don't exist is itself stigmatized."

There was a study where researchers analyzed 41 movies that had been released between 1990 and 2010 for depictions of schizophrenia. Based on the findings of the analysis, they drew several conclusions, including:

• Most of the characters displayed "positive" symptoms of schizophrenia, with delusions being featured most frequently, followed by auditory and visual hallucinations;
• The majority of characters displayed violent behavior toward themselves or others;
• Nearly one-third of violent characters engaged in homicidal behavior;
• About one-fourth of the characters committed suicide;
• The cause of schizophrenia was infrequently noted. However, in about one-fourth of the movies it was implied that a traumatic life event for the character had been a significant factor;
• Of the movies that alluded to or showed mental illness treatment, psychotropic medications were most commonly portrayed.

Other studies have also discovered that 75% of depictions of mental illness in popular video games are negative or stereotyped.

These portrayals are not only incorrect but damaging because they spread myths about mental Illness. Schizophrenia is often painted with symptoms such as visual hallucinations, bizarre delusions, and disorganized speech, and they're presented as if they're commonplace. In reality, however, symptoms like decreased motivation, poverty of speech, and flat affect are more common. And this is just one example of how media portrayals can threaten to (re)shape societal perceptions and contribute to harmful stereotypes.