#Triggered is sadly coming to an end. As we round up our final project, we want to look back on everything we’ve learned the past month about the portrayal of mental health issues in the TV industry. Join us one last time.
Half of our journalistic blog consists of testimonials. People from all over the world shared their views on certain shows and/or movies. We quickly learned that there were a few shows that didn’t have many positive effects on viewers, like 13 Reasons Why and Skins. These shows had a mind-blowing impact on Brent, Jess and Renée. Even #Triggered’s colleague Femke was personally affected by watching these shows.
Every one of these people were already struggling with their mental health or had a predisposition for mental issues. Many of them were recovering, like Brent. Brent spiralled back into his own train of thought and struggled with his mental health for several months after seeing the graphic suicide scene in 13 Reasons Why.
Triggers are different for everybody
What’s important to note is that every TV production has a different effect on its viewers. Some people are triggered by what they see: their mental health worsens, like Ella’s, who felt she wasn’t doing enough to be skinny after seeing the Netflix movie To the Bone. Thomas on the other hand, realised how strong of a person he is for overcoming his eating disorder after watching the same movie. Being triggered by a show or film depends greatly on how you’re feeling mentally. If you’re in the midst of your battle with depression, an eating disorder or any other mental issue, you may get triggered more easily than when you’re completely healthy.
It’s important to decide for yourself whether you can handle watching shows that discuss topics that might trigger you. If you feel like you’re not quite there yet, watch something else. Otherwise, it might rekindle those feelings and worsen your mental health.
Fiction vs reality A grave danger lies in binge-watching. Many of the people we interviewed admitted that they binged certain shows, even though they knew it wasn’t good for their own mental health. When you start binge-watching a show, it’s possible that you get too invested in it. It may become hard to distinguish a fictional thing on Netflix from real life.
Definitely for teens this can be really dangerous. Teens are still developing their own identity, so there’s a big possibility that they’ll start to copy the behaviour they see on TV. If a show portrays certain mental illnesses as romantic or overall normal to have, viewers might act on it. They might not try to recover, like Renée, who felt like her illness was portrayed as really romantic in Skins. She didn’t want to heal.
Also keep in mind that not every movie or show includes a trigger warning. There is a responsibility on the filmmaker to portray mental health problems in a right way. However, using a trigger warning isn’t obligated in any way. So, make sure that you know what the movie is about before you start watching it, because the responsibility partly falls on your shoulders as well.
In times of a lockdown Romanticisation of mental illness still happens to this day, but it’s happening less and less than it used to be. These days producers are being more responsible. They have on-set-psychologists and do interviews with people who have struggled with mental illnesses in the past. The problem is definitely improving, but mental illness still isn’t engrained enough in television right now. If it is, it’s always a big plot line. We can’t wait to see how this evolves.
Try to look out for yourself and your mental health, definitely in times like these where you’re stuck inside all day because of the lockdown. If you want to watch a show or movie, choose something that doesn’t revolve around your own mental health struggles. If you do want to watch TV productions revolving around mental health, be sure to watch them with someone you trust and you can talk to afterwards.
If you ever think about suicide or self-harm, and are in need of a conversation, then you can always contact the Suicide Hotline on the number 1813 or www.zelfmoord1813.be for Belgium. For international helplines, click this link.
If you're in need of a conversation that's not about suicide or self-harm, you can find various helplines here.
Text: Janne Schellingen
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