Portrayal Of Mental Illness And Reinforcing The Stigma And Stereotypes Around It In The Movie Split
For decades, individuals dealing with mental illness have been depicted as crazy, harmful and dangerous. Although there has been progress in recent years, these portrayals are overwhelmingly negative and remain the dominant representations of mental illness in mass media and popular culture. When we watch films such as Psycho, One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest and the 2016 production titled Split, we are presented with an extreme one-sided lens of mental illness. These depictions play a vital role in reinforcing the stigma and stereotypes that surround the mental health community. Although there have been movements towards developing films that are progressive and present a more realistic view of mental illness, films such as Split, continue to be the dominant narratives. Unfortunately, these are the films and mass media productions that leave a lasting impression with audiences.
Split, is a 2016 psychological horror film both written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan is a renowned director, producer, and screenwriter best known for his creations, The Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable. Split, is the story of a man named Kevin Wendell Crumb who suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID), as a result of the abuse he suffered as a child. Dissociative identity disorder, or formerly multiple personality disorder, remains a controversial and complex disorder among psychiatrists and psychologists. DID can be defined as “a severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in and alternately take control of an individual” and involves memory loss and identity fragmentation. DID emerges in childhood and is often a result of severe psychological, sexual or physical abuse. Throughout the beginning of the film, it is evident that Kevin is in therapy with his psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Fletcher. Dr. Fletcher specializes in dissociative identity disorder and identifies Kevin with 23 personalities, including “Dennis’, “Patricia” and “Hedwig”. Each personality has violent and highly manipulative traits, as Kevin shifts his entire physical appearance and mental state to match each identity. Kevin is the main or original identity, while “Dennis” is an extremely aggressive and violent personality, who enjoys fantasizing about young girls. Each identity is introduced in a terrifying manner, in an attempt to scare viewers and further reinforce the notion that the mentally ill are unstable, dangerous and violent. For example, these include, “Hedwig” who is a disturbed 9-year-old boy and “Patricia”, a calm and loving perfectionist, who when provoked, becomes enraged and threatening. Kevin is clearly labelled as a mentally ill killer and winds up kidnapping three young girls named Casey, Claire and Marcia, holding them captive in his basement. The personalities end up harming and killing Claire, Marcia and Dr. Fletcher. As the film progresses, a new 24th personality emerges, known as “The Beast”, the most violent and dangerous of all the identities. Kevin is depicted as being able to change his entire bodily and physical state to become “The Beast”, a muscular, aggressive and savage character, who is able to bend metal and has other supervillain qualities
The film Split is a troubling portrayal of mental illness for various reasons. However, when considering this popular culture film from a personal perspective, I have now realized what it may tell me about myself. I belong to a family with members who have struggled with anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. Although anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder differ greatly from DID, this negative depiction of mental illness in popular culture is saddening. However, despite this personal connection, I made the conscious decision to watch the film. As described during lecture, society is intrigued by “the other” or enjoys watching bodies, faces or behaviours that are different from the norm. Similarly, society enjoys films starring a villain, with mad behaviour and a complex mental psyche. Split was an intriguing film with a complex storyline and for this reason, similarly to many of its viewers, I chose to watch the film. This further emphasizes the notion that society is ultimately consumed by mass media productions such as Split and it is easy to take the messages and stereotypes these productions reproduce at face value. However, after watching the film for the 2nd time, I was able to challenge these ideas and develop a different perspective.
In relation to broader social relations of power the movie Split, and the theme of mental illness in popular culture can relate to the broader social relations of power. Split, makes meaning in relation to ability and class. For example, Kevin is not seen as an individual, but rather as a monster and is defined by his illness. Films like Split, portray the mentally ill as unfit to live a normal life and carry out daily functions, which is evident in the character story of Kevin. Kevin cannot be left alone to his own devices because he is a threat. He is also depicted as being incapable of taking his medication, eating and sleeping. This relates to the notion that the mentally ill are inept of taking care of themselves, as they are helpless and uncontrollable. They are unable to live a normal life without the presence of a medical professional or a psychiatric inpatient program. Although there are extreme cases of complex personality disorders and some individuals may need to be hospitalized for treatment, they only make up 6% of the population (CAMH). Mental illness is diverse and can range from mild to severe. However, the vast majority of popular culture has depicted the mentally ill in a negative manner. With films like Split, the mentally ill are grouped together as unable; defined by their illnesses and the stigma that surrounds them.
In addition, the film Split also makes meaning in relation to class. Kevin lives in a dungeon-like basement, which he calls home. It is clear that the basement is cold, run down and dirty. We are often presented with a narrative of the mentally ill, living in poverty or poor conditions. Kevin’s character also upholds this myth. Lastly, Split makes meaning in relation to the notion of capitalism and wealth. Even though DID is a controversial mental disorder, that continues to be studied and analyzed, DID was presented in the film in an unrealistic way. Kevin becomes “The Beast” and therefore associates DID with a villain who has superhuman qualities. These choices made by the filmmakers and the directors were deliberate, as these are the storylines that sell. Consequently, popular culture and mass media productions, such as Split, are created with the goal to make money. Reinforces Representation in popular culture and mass media is essential for the mental health community, as well as other minority groups. However, popular culture often fails in presenting positive narratives of minority groups. Often, minority groups are depicted in ways that reinforce stereotypes and uphold barriers. The film Split, reinforces prevailing relations of power and existing beliefs surrounding the mental health community. For example, Split reinforces the beliefs that the mentally ill are violent, harmful and capable of killing others. In addition, the film also reinforces the myth that the mentally ill live in poor conditions and lack the ability to take care of themselves. Furthermore, mental illness is portrayed as something that individuals cannot overcome within their lifetime, which is not necessarily always the case. Lastly, when you type dissociative identity disorder into google search, the film Split appears in the related searches. This suggests that there is a clear link between DID and Kevin’s character, even though there was a misrepresentation of the disorder in the film. Audiences automatically make the connection, assuming that all individuals suffering from DID are similar to Kevin or relate to his violent behaviour. For example, the most troubling misrepresentation was the connection between Kevin’s DID and his superhuman qualities. Towards the end of the film, when “The Beast” emerges, Kevin was somehow able to become a super villain because of his DID, suggesting that he has no control over his own body or mind.
According to CAMH, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, “40% of respondents to a 2016 survey agreed that they have experienced feelings of anxiety or depression but never sought medical help for it”. Popular culture plays a major role in reinforcing notions that individuals suffering from mental illness such as anxiety, depression or personality disorders are crazy, dangerous or a threat. Films such as Split, reinforce barriers towards the mental health community and can prevent individuals from seeking help. When individuals suffering from mental illness view these types of films, they may choose not to seek help due to embarrassment or fear of harsh judgment by family, friends, the workplace and society as a whole. These stereotypes create a negative discourse within society and have direct implications on the mental health community. The film Split, creates an especially negative discourse surrounding the DID community, as the disorder is already controversial and often misunderstood by health care professionals and society.
Conclusion
The production of popular culture films such as Split, reproduce dangerous stereotypes of the mentally ill and reinforce the stigma that surrounds the mental health community, in relation to ability and class. In order to challenge these notions, popular culture and mass media should focus on creating films such as It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Perks of Being a Wallflower or Silverlining’s Playbook. These productions are useful tools in disrupting the stereotypes and stigma surrounding mental illness. We need to focus on creating films such as the above, which provide a much more accurate and realistic depiction of what life is truly like for individuals dealing with mental illness. It is significant that individuals struggling with mental illness find accurate representations of themselves in popular culture and mass media. With this mindset, we can continue to pave a pathway towards eliminating the dominant narrative, which is overwhelmingly negative, and replace it with a positive one.
