By Kaila DeFalco
Talking about mental illness is no longer taboo, it is a major mainstream topic of discussion. Famous actors, musicians, and athletes have come forward to share they have some form of mental illness. These individuals are taking a stand against the stigma of mental illness and encouraging others to seek help or treatment. Criminal activity, especially the crimes related to mass shootings, has also brought mental illness forward as a topic of discussion. Many people are discussing the connection between mental illness and criminal behaviors. An additional factor helping to bring the discussion of mental illness to the forefront is Netflix. Netflix is a very popular streaming website that allows viewers to watch multiple shows and movies in one sitting, perfect for binge watchers. When a show is released on Netflix, depending on the topic, it receives a lot of traction, which only increases the viewership. Recently, there have been multiple shows regarding controversial topics, but these shows have drawn tremendous amounts of attention: 13 Reasons Why, Birdbox, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, and You. These four shows all have very provocative topics surrounding the areas of mental illness and criminal behavior which leads to a large discussion about these topics. Below, I will discuss Netflix’s first show, 13 Reasons Why and the most recent popular show, Conversations with a Killer:The Ted Bundy Tapes, which both address mental health issues and mental health illness.
One of the first shows that brought Netflix to the forefront of the discussion surrounding Netflix’s controversial portrayals of mental illness was 13 Reasons Why. This show tells the story from the perspective of a teenager who committed suicide and made 13 audio tapes to explain why she decided to end her life. The creators of the show strongly believe they are “raising awareness around the subject of suicide, banishing stigmas, and leading to more discuss of a sensitive topic.” Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many people have openly expressed their opinion against the show and against the message it is sending. In the first season, viewers follow the twelve people the main character blames for her suicide and as they learn how their actions supported her decision. The show depicts suicide as a way out of your problems, as a cop out, and very sadly glamorizes suicide as a normal option. Suicide should never be a normal option to consider. There are so many resources that can help those contemplating suicide.
13 Reasons Why additionally drew large amounts of criticism because the main character’s suicide was done as revenge on the people she believed pushed her to end her life so tragically. Many critics do not support this show and have outwardly expressed their disgust. The National Association of School Psychologists recommend that vulnerable youth particularly those with any suicidal thoughts do not watch the series because young children, especially teenagers, are very impressionable. Focusing on suicide without providing preventative guidelines can lead to dangerous outcomes.
Netflix’s latest and hottest show drawing attention surrounding mental illness is Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. This show has generated discussion on Ted Bundy’s mental illnesses, people romanticizing Ted Bundy, and specifically the show placing blame on his mental illnesses for his severe criminal behaviors. Ted Bundy was a serial killer in the 1970’s who admitted to killing roughly thirty people. Netflix has now created a mini-series depicting the life of Ted Bundy including his murders and focusing heavily on his mental illnesses. Ted Bundy was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and as being a manic depressive person. The mini-series attempts to demonstrate the strong connection between his mental illnesses and his numerous murders. The creators portray Ted Bundy as inherently dangerous due to his Bipolar disorder, and therefore more prone to murder. This is extremely problematic.
Throughout the series, the creators specifically harp on the point that people with mental illness are inherently dangerous. That belief is absolutely false. Multiple studies show that only three to five percent of violent crimes may be attributed to an individual with a severe mental illness. In fact, individuals with severe mental illnesses are more likely, sometimes ten times as likely, to be victims of violent crime. It is important to understand that mental illness can be subjective. Trying to put a name or diagnosis to an individual is extremely difficult, especially given the continual and radical developments in mental health field. In recent years, one in four individuals are said to experience some sort of mental health issue at some point in time, but it’s not that twenty-five percent of individuals have committed a violent crime such as murder.
Netflix is not a source for mental health information. Viewers need to ensure that they screen or prevent their children from watching shows like 13 Reasons Why and the Ted Bundy Tapes to ensure that their children’s impressionable minds do not learn incorrect mental illness information. Sources like Netflix have caused a rise in the stigma that mental illness is directly related to violent crimes, such as murder. Be the change against believing Netflix mental health stigmas and do your best to differentiate between television entertainment and reality.
Kaila DeFalco is a 3L at Suffolk University Law School. Kaila is a 3:03 certified student prosecutor with the Norfolk County DA’s Office in Dedham, MA. She graduates from Suffolk Law this year and hopes to pursue a career in sports and management law.
Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686644/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are the views of the author alone and do not represent the views of JHBL or Suffolk University Law School.