Portrayal of Mental Health in Popular Culture
The characterization in the movie Trainspotting is one that pays attention to the use of drugs (heroin to be specific) among a group of youths. The film which is based in Edinburgh, Scotland focuses on a group of young heroin addicts who live in extreme poverty but the culturally rich area. The director uses Mark Renton to portray the abuse of drugs as well as drug addiction among the youth. Mark highlights how his addiction to heroin affects not only his friends and family but also his general life. As one watches this character, it is evident that the modern society is one that is surrounded by the mental issues of drug addiction. This paper focuses on portraying mental health in the popular culture of film.
…show more content…
The main reason why drug addiction is regarded as a brain disease is due to the fact that drug abuse changes the function and structure of the brain (KRAFT, 2010). In most cases, the initial move to use drugs is voluntary. However, repeated drug abuse with time affects the brain functioning and which can impair an individual’s self-control as well as the ability to make sound decisions. It is important to note that such a health condition increases the impulse for the addict to take more drugs. The changes impacted by drugs in the human brain play an important role towards making it hard for a person stop abusing drugs. If not treated, the effects could be extreme to an extent that affects those living around the addict. The fortunate thing about the entire disorder is that like any other, there are treatments that aim at countering the disruptive effects of the addiction and regain the normal