In one of my Facebook groups, someone posed the question about mental health being used as storyline, specifically with The Fiend. Rather than answer the question on Facebook in the group, I thought I would turn it into an article where I can go into more detail. The specific question was if using someone’s mental health issues as a character is a good thing or a bad thing.
Going back to Bray Wyatt (real name Windham Lawrence Rotunda), he has stated that he has/had mental health illnesses in the past/present. As someone that has Aspergers and is just shy of a BA Psychology (plus a wife with BA Psychology, MA Family Studies, and Autism Certification), it’s definitely a good thing! Too many shows are scared to bring mental illness to the forefront due to stereotypes, boycotts, bad ratings, etc., but it’s something that is very real and should be brought out more by the mass media.
Currently speaking, we also have the shows “Abnormal” on Netflix and “The Good Doctor” on ABC. Both shows are centered around characters that “suffer” from Autism. I use the term suffer very loosely as they have made peace with their issues and learned to use them for benefit. If anything, we NEED more characters in TV bringing these issues to the forefront.
Too many in the general public think of mental issues and/or disabilities as someone with a physical issue that can be seen by the eye, but that is simply not true. Most people diagnosed with issues cannot be seen by the naked eye. Under that spectrum, we have PTSD, Aspergers (Autism 1), Bipolar, Depression, and many more.
The more the general public learns about these illnesses, the better. We need much more awareness of the “invisible” illnesses common in the public that many don’t think of happening around them. We tend to think of them as “the outcast”, “the weird one”, or “strange”. But it may be one of those instances where they simply haven’t come to terms with what they have. Bray posted both of these on Instagram in the past year to Instagram and send a message to his stance:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxntpoYp4jT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Posted May 2019
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7eS-k1JN2N/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Posted January 2020
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