Time and again we have
seen the portrayal of ‘mentally disturbed characters’ in our Indian film industry.
Every time, without fail (barring a few exceptions) the directors fail to
recognise the mental disorder incorrectly ( making nothing or everything a
depression or a Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia). Furthermore, what disgusts
me is that for every disorder the only cure ( more often than not) they find is
electro convulsive therapy (ECT; what
lay people call as “shock therapy”). It is scenes like these that create the
fear of approaching mental health professionals among the public.
I ask “How can a guy (
Manu) who is normally expressing his opinions and emotions against his wife receive
ECT just like that? How? ” Some people may argue that the movie was a comic one
and this too might be a part of making the script funny. I, however, refute to
this suggestion. Showing comedy and stating facts are two different things. It
is scenes like these, which are lightly showcased and are passed around as “facts”
for the public which continues to be unaware about mental disorders and more so
the treatment for the same. ECT is a treatment, often used as a last resort
when pharmacotherapy (i.e. medicines) or psychotherapy (i.e. counselling meant
for mental disorders) fails to help the distressed patient. As a treatment, it
is never ever given without consent. This is much contrary
to how the movies show the person being dragged to a room and given shock, not
as a treatment but as a punishment. Secondly, ECT is a mild shock, not something brutal and inhumane as
shown by our esteemed directors!
In a country like ours,
where there are innumerable myths which continue to prevail with respect to
mental illness, it is our media which aggrandizes the myths by multiple
proportions, thus further adding to the stigma and taboo of seeking help from a
mental health professional.
What further disturbs me is how loosely the
disorders are labelled onto a character portrayed by an actor. I opine that if
a director does wishes to show a mental disorder in a movie, s/he researches
well about it and then portray it in the best interest of the public. It’s sad
that while our directors have an expertise in copying scripts blindly from the
West, they lack on polishing their professional skills when it comes to depicting
an individual with a mental illness.
Media is that one
source which reaches the masses with the most impact. It is only when the
scenes depicted in the movie show the “real facts” will people start accepting
mental illness, the importance of mental health and role of mental health
professionals in helping them.
So,
Dear Directors, please stop
meddling with clinical jargon and molding into anything that suits your
interest. Think of the millions out there whom your dialogues and characters
are making a lasting impact and choose a well researched path than your ‘lay’
knowledge, as nothing is more detrimental than that.
Sincerely,
One of the concerned
Mental Health Professionals of India
3 comments:
Well, that's a relief to know. Honestly, such scenes scare the bejesus out of me some times. Yeah, it is a fictional movie, but these scenes, like you say, are paraded as fact, and to the mind, it sets up a fear I think. Hope the directors heed the call and take care not to do such scenes without research or over dramatization.
I can understand what you mean here. Movies should act responsible for what they show. Even, I as a homeopath felt the portrayal of homeopathy inappropriate and careless in the recently released Piku. A good point raised Akriti!
While the scene was over the top. What they showed is, that she imagines him getting a electric shock, not that he DOES! It was her idea of how they would treat him and so she informs his friend to rescue him against what actually happened. Though I agree with the generic show of mental disorders in other films.
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