Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Portrayal in Mass Media

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Article “Paranoid Schizophrenic Set Fire to Herself After Years of Suicidal Thoughts”

In the article, the woman was suffering from such symptoms as suicidal thoughts, delusions and hallucinatory experiences when she thought she had two sets of parents or that “her pet dog had been replaced by an identical animal”. (Paranoid schizophrenic set fire to herself after years of suicidal thoughts, para 3.). Moreover, she has pseudohallucinations, which are false auditory perceptions of a strange nature that were telling her to kill herself (Paranoid schizophrenic set fire to herself after years of suicidal thoughts). The official diagnosis reported in the media was paranoid schizophrenia accompanied by psychotic episodes.

The report creates an impression of the woman being completely inadequate and dangerous. It highlights moments like the one when the woman poured wax on her head and tells nothing about days when she did not have psychotic episodes (Paranoid schizophrenic set fire to herself after years of suicidal thoughts). The article tries to bring home to the reader the idea that the woman was also suffering from an emotional-volitional defect, which manifests itself as a lack of strong-willed qualities and complete indifference to the outside world. This was expressed by the loss of the ability to show tenderness, affection, sympathy, affection, tact to her family who kept her out of madhouse. The woman showed neither gratitude to her parents nor compassion when she tried to kill herself many times knowing what anguish her death would be to her family.

In the textbook, paranoid schizophrenia is described a little differently. While it is mentioned that the person has auditory hallucinations, it is said that these are centered around the themes of grandeur or prosecution (Coon & Mitterer, 2013). In addition, it is said that when a paranoid schizophrenic does not have psychotic episodes, he or she has no more propensity for violence than ordinary people. Thus, the description in the media is consistent with the textbook only partially. While auditory hallucinations are described in both sources, the article concentrates around abnormal and dangerous behavior of the woman and tells nothing about quieter episodes described in the textbook.

Article “Twitter Sends Support to Mariah Carey, Who Opens Up About Her Mental Disorder”

In this article, the symptoms the pop diva include severe mood swings when the mood for several months, weeks, or for a few hours “goes to extremes” — it becomes too cheerful and too bad. The singer has mentioned “sharp switches of mood from euphoria or irritability to depression, as well as insomnia, weight loss or gain, and suicidal intentions” that bother her (Twitter sends support to Mariah Carey, who opens up about her mental disorder). Moreover, the article highlights the singer’s “inconsistent performances and her relationship troubles” (Twitter sends support to Mariah Carey, who opens up about her mental disorder) that she has had over the last fifteen years. The singer was even accused of sexual harassment of her bodyguard. The mentioned symptoms are consistent with the bipolar II disorder – a diagnosis mentioned in the media. However, while there are certain similarities between this description and the one provided in the textbook, there are certain differences as well.

The report creates an impression of a person whose emotions are amplified: joy — to euphoria, irritation, and resentment — to aggression, suspicion — to paranoia. Physical activity also increases: the singer almost does not want to sleep. The singer’s behavior can be characterized as impulsive, reckless, sometimes even adventurous, and eccentric. Another sign of bipolar disorder described in the media is that the pop diva has had depression, from mild short-term to severe long-term.

The description is partially consistent with the one provided in the textbook. Thus, bipolar disorder is described as episodes of depression, mania, hypomania, and mixed episodes (Coon & Mitterer, 2013). According to the textbook, bipolar II disorder, specifically, is the feeling of “fatigue and emptiness” that periodically lapses into cheerful and energetic mood (Coon & Mitterer, 2013, p. 505). While the media mention insomnia as a symptom of bipolar II disorder, in the textbook it is attributed to bipolar I disorder. Thus, the portrayal of the disorder in the media is the mix of symptoms that belong to bipolar I and II disorders in the textbook. Coon & Mitterer (2013) state that variations of certain conditions of bipolar I and II disorders can be diverse, including the intensity of manifestations of symptoms, the course of the disease, changes in episodes. At the same time, depression and mania in the clinical sense are understood as opposite to each other “peak” affective states. They can last quite a long time, occur with a regular frequency and be of various “depths”. The portrayal of pop-diva’s life and character when she has been involved into different scandals in consistent with this description. Thus, her mood changes have led to conflicts in the family, at work and in society.

The portrayal of mental disorders in the media differs from the one presented in the textbook. While Coon & Mitterer (2013) are objective describing positive as well as negative symptoms of mental deceases, the media tends to demonize mentally ill people, speaking about their misconduct, strange ideas or perceptions. To make media coverage more objective, the society should work towards elimination of stigma towards mentally ill people in all spheres of life.

References

Paranoid schizophrenic set fire to herself after years of suicidal thoughts (2018).Sputnik International. Web.

Twitter sends support to Mariah Carey, who opens up about her mental disorder (2018). Sputnik International. Web.

Coon, D., & Mitterer, J. O. (2013). Psychology: A Journey (5th Edition). Cengage Learning US. Web.

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Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Portrayal in Mass Media

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