Mental Illness, the Media and Family
n a Sunday article in the New York Times, on April 16, 2009, Patricia Cohen reviewed a musical “Next to Normal” that is currently stateside on stage at the Booth Theatre in New York City. But it is the well-rounded review that contextualizes mental illness in the family and the media that make Cohen’s article so worth reading.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/theater/19cohe.html
Cohen lists other examples of the media’s portrayal of mental illness in:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Film
A Beautiful Mind – Film
The United States of Tara – TV
Equus – Theater
Sylvia Plath – Poet
Frances Farmer – Actress
Emily Dickinson – Poet
Frederich Nietzche – Philosopher
Proof – Theater
It is at the end of Cohen’s review that I was most struck and found it relevant to discuss in the context of stories at International Family Magazine. Cohen discusses the daughter in the theater piece, “Next to Normal” in the character Natalie and how a theatergoer, David Stone made parallels with that character to his own childhood. Stone is quoted as saying, it “spoke to me about being in a household where one person sucked all the attention,” he said. “Next to Normal” resonates with many of its viewers.
I think that when talking about families and family dynamics, when there is a particular person in the family whose needs take up a great deal of the energy and health and well being of the family unit, this is when things can become dysfunctional. Here at International Family Magazine we have contributors that have written about this very eloquently. For example, you can search our archives for “My Exquisite Illness” by Daphne Gregory. Also, Laurie Lesser, found in our World of Talent pages, is a psychotherapist that has written a book, “Children of a Lesser God,” which can also be found in our archives. Please read if you are a family or family member suffering alone.
One thing that is important to discuss is the current U.S. and non-U.S. laws of patient confidentiality and patient rights with persons suffering from mental illness. Unless the line has been crossed on “physical danger to oneself or others”, that strict confidentiality and patient rights cannot be disturbed. Therefore, family members cannot assist in the anecdotal data or decision-making in regards to a mentally ill family member’s medications or treatment. In the example of the Virginia Tech Massacre in which dozens of bright, internationals were gunned down, the unstable youth had not yet met the strict requirements of physical endangerment and had been deemed “fit” for outpatient treatment rather than retention.
Although gone are the days when family members were brutally and involuntarily committed to asylums, a new “trap” has been set in the system that can imprison families and society in difficult and harmful situations. By the time the criteria are met, the unwitting, untreated, mental patient can do great damage. The line of confidentiality, privacy and patient rights is necessary and critical, but sometimes that line creates an impenetrable barrier that resists progress and can have tragic results. The treatment and support of the family members and the world community that surround the mentally ill patient is equally relevant to the overall health of a family unit.
Articles on mental health laws
U.S. Surgeon General
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter7/sec1.html
Australia and Laws on Mental Health Patients and Involuntary Commitment
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/10/2114170.htm
Mental Health Laws in Ontario, Canada
Patient Laws in the U.K.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6239939.stm
Virginia Tech tragedy renews examination of mentally ill, detention and care
