Depression in the Media & Pop Culture

@wonderfulPumpkin71

Hi Pumkieee Thank you for this post!!

What do you think of the media's portrayal of depression? I think it depends on what you watch and listen to, as soom shows and news are NOT right about facts on things. But I think media "kinda" hits on WHAT depression is really for someone. They try but don't hit on things like they should.

What does the media or pop culture get right about depression, and what does it get wrong?

Well hmm- sometimes I feel they stero type many into 1 big label. And that isn't right. But also some media/shows or whatever hit right on about true facts about depression.

Lastly, how do you think the media can improve in talking about depression?

I think media can do more research on depression. Maybe invite someone to talk about it who experiences it.

Media is a good way of really bring out depression is real in the world!

Good post

I feel like the media romanticises depression too much for my liking. For example if the main character is portrayed to have depression, there is always a love interest that will "magically pull them out of it" and suddenly life is forever free of sorrows, like a fairy tale and that's not true or even healthy at all.

Sometimes the media portrays depression as a never-ending sadness when in reality, it's a whole slew of emotions or even just emptiness from time to time so that really needs work.

I think the media should do proper research if they really want to help spread awareness instead of misinformation.

When I think about these questions, the Netflix show "13 Reasons Why" immediately comes to mind. I haven't personally watched the show (it would be way too triggering for me), but listening to others who have that I know, it seems like the majority of people who don't find anything troubling about it are people who don't have depression/have had suicidal thoughts themselves. It's been critized quite a bit by health organizations and has been accused of furthering the stigma surrounding suicide (for instance, the notion that if people were just nicer to someone else, that would magically cure them of depressive thoughts/keep them from killing themselves, etc). But I'm not gonna get too much into that now since like I said, I haven't watched the show myself.

I do agree with another comment that depression is heavily romantized. Not just in movies or books, but also on social media too. I used to see posts all the time people make on there that portray depression as 'cute' or 'a quirk', and not something very serious. Luckily though, I'm glad that the staff at that site have very good resources for those struggling (in fact tumblr was actually the reason I found THIS site in the first place ^^). To connect it to pop culture, I believe people can unintentionally soak up these ideas about depression due to what they see in the movies and what they read in books.

To be honest I don't really have any instances that come to mind where the media gets depression right. There are getting better, I suppose, at airing commercials that do a good job spreading awareness of it. I remember this one commercial (I think i saw it on facebook..) called Depression Isn't Always Obvious. I related to it so much because it got the message across that just because someone "looks and acts happy" doesn't mean they are. I think that's one of the biggest things people don't understand about depression. I've had SO many people, after I tell them that I have had depression, say stupid things like "oh really? I wouldn't have guessed. You're always so happy!" Ugh, I know that they don't mean to be condenscending, but it makes me want to yell at them.

The media can get better at talking about it by making more movies/shows about depression recovery and shunning all of the myths surrounding depression and mental illness in general. It can start by getting rid of the ridiculous idea that a person can "save" someone from depression's hold. It can start by explaining that some people don't become long term depressed just on a single thing alone, but multiple things. Depression has a lot of layers to it. Most of the time It's complex, and should to be portrayed as such in those instances.

I think the worst thing about media's portrayal of depression is not allowing the characters overcome it. They stablish it as something defining for them and make it seem like they wouldn't be as likable without it; my main example would be House, in spite of how much i loved that show, it angered me they couldn't keep him happy for more than one season and had to make him go back to being miserable.
They glorify depression and other mental health problems by saying that they make you unique or that they are the source of their characters' intellect.

I think that the social media world in which we live in tends to make depression look like something common and simple. It is not simple and every one has a differnt journey with the process.

I agree, I kinda feel like everyone just throws the word depression around, not knowing the seriousness of it, just makes it feel kinda uneasy....

I feel the exact same way they really do glorify and romanticise mental illnesses.

hi all!

depression, amongst other mental health issues, are often misrepresented in the media i feel, but this viewpoint is changing.

and example of this would be from my own experiences with not only depression, but tourettes syndrome. a lot of what people learn from tourettes is through things like documentaries, which often depict people with coprolalia (compulsive swearing). this is a double edged sword, as on one hand they are giving awareness to tourettes syndrome, they (for the most part, anyway) leave out people with less severe symptoms such as myself.

tourettes is (to the average documentary viewer) more "entertaining" than depression, in my opinion, which to me is exactly the wrong attitude people have.

depression is more often depicted in fictional works, such as novels, soap operas and movies because of their nature: theyre fictional. depression can be easily romanticised and worked as a plot device rather than as an accurate narration of depression, just as tourettes can be worked into something "entertaining" for the purposes of a documentary. tourettes is rarely shown in fictional media due to the fact that, while 10% of people with tourettes actually have coprolalia, most cases of tourettes are fairly mild. likewise, depression is rarely shown in documentary form, as the reality of it is that depression isnt pretty, cute or romantic. it destroys lives and tears families apart if left to its own devices.

i feel the media talk depression and mental health more now, but in the wrong ways. while its good to spread awareness, one has to be mindfull of what awareness one is spreading about these sensitive issues.

I'll be honest. I've never seen anything about depression from TV shows or any sort of media, BUT, I am a personal expert on the media. They'll do whatever they can do to get paid.

Before media: "Man catches a vase prior to falling on child's head."

After media: "GUNSHOTS, EVERYWHERE. THIS MAN JUMPED IN FRONT OF A BULLET TO SAVE THIS CHILD! Back to you, Tom."

@wonderfulPumpkin71 Thank you for sharing this! I do think that people are becoming more aware of this mental illness. While the portrayal may not always be accurate, I think it's good that media has started the conversation about depression.