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American Psycho Mental Analysis

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Stigma: the Media’s Gift to the Mentally Ill A young boy lives in an environment in which his parents have a daily routine of constant bickering and fighting. His family’s therapist gifts him a tape recorder in which one night he is to record one of his parents’ disputes so he can find a new home. On that night, he witnesses his father shooting himself after violently murdering his mom with burning rage. Years later, the little boy, now a man in his 40s, kidnaps women and reenacts the night his parents died, resulting in women’s deaths and later, his. This episode of Criminal Minds is one of many that depicts those with mental illnesses as insane. With the media being one of the most influential forces in society, it feeds people stigmas that …show more content…
They are represented as the “bad guys” who are crazy, unstable, and unbelievably violent within movies that play a big role in the entertainment business. The movie American Psycho is a perfect example of how people with mental issues are represented in movies. Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, clearly has mental conflict and has sick fantasies of killing people he is associated with which results in many people’s brutal deaths. Movies like such constantly portray the mentally ill as always on a breaking point and is ready to do a completely unethical act of violence. What they forget to mention is that the mentally ill are actually ten to twenty times more likely to be victims of violence because of the stigma that continues to persevere ("Mental Health Myths and Facts”). Timothy Rice, who is a part of the Department of Psychiatry in New York, explains it best by reminding people that violent thoughts are normal for everyone to have (849). Yes, that means that if you have voice in your head wondering what would happen if you punched the person you were talking to in the face or when your sibling eats the last piece of hot cheesy pizza and you want to slap them across the face, you do not have to worry about needing to go to a hospital because it is normal! And if a mentally ill person talks about punching the girl/boy their ex cheated them on with, it does not mean they are …show more content…
How often do we hear news reports including that someone has a mental illness when announcing a crime? It is like the news sees mental illnesses and criminal activities as complimentary, bringing in more views. What we do not see is that only 5% of violent crimes are actually from those with severe mental troubles, but with the news continuously reporting crimes caused by those with mental issues, one can only assume that the numbers are much higher ("Mental Health Myths and Facts”). Lets not forget how the stories on the news are supposed to be live reports of events that are going around locally, nationwide, and worldwide. So since the news presents current events, everything most be true right? Yes, but to gain viewers they only air “juicy” content that will bring suspense and fear which will keep its viewers watching. Therefore, incorporating crimes done by people with mental illnesses adds the same affect movies have when their villains are disturbed and

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