Jaimes said the lack of proper representation was “disheartening,” mentioning her experience growing up biracial while not seeing others like her on the screen.
“It can actually affect your mental health, to not see yourself in these TV shows and movies and other forms of entertainment,” Jaimes said. “I genuinely thought that there just weren’t a lot of people that looked like me. I didn’t think that we weren’t getting in the movies because of racism or anything. I just thought, ‘Oh, not a lot of people look like me in the world.’”
In addition to not equitably presenting young characters with mental health conditions, the movies surveyed also made these characters out to be violent, according to the study. The majority of these characters were either victims or perpetrators of violence.
The authors wrote that this portrayal was bound to have ill effects on those who watched the films, since derision was often used for humor at the expense of young characters with mental health conditions.
“Modeling verbal and physical attacks against characters with mental health conditions is not without consequences,” the study read. “Portrayals like these can dehumanize people with mental health issues and may even contribute to real-world violence.”
The study also claimed any form of treatment was mostly absent from the films. Only about a quarter of the characters are shown in therapy, all of whom are white.
“A mere 2 characters used any form of medication, one of whom was a dog!” the study reads. “The view of treatment in film suggests that storytellers view mental health conditions as immutable and untreatable.”
When discussing potential responses, the authors linked to their own initiatives and resources and wrote that stories that resonate with audiences are stories with which they can identify.
“Young people today are drawn to stories that reflect their experiences– and that includes struggles with anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental health conditions,” the study reads. “Storytellers who reflect the reality of youth mental health may find that the audience is more receptive to realistic depictions and drawn to films that refuse to demonize, disparage, or marginalize mental health.”
The authors of the study — Ariana Case, Aimee Christopher, Katherine Pieper and Stacy Smith — were not available for comment.