Summary Of The Joker And Stigmatizing Representation Of Mental Illness

Mental health stigma is alive and well in today’s world, which may surprise some people due to the progressiveness of the new generation. Shockingly, nearly 1 in 5 US adults have some sort of mental illness (“The State” 15). One would assume that the prevalence of such an issue would lead to a forgiving society, yet media outlets everywhere continue to associate negative actions with those struggling with mental illness. John Goodwin and Izzat Tajjudin investigate this concept in greater detail in their work, “‘What Do You Think I Am? Crazy?’: The Joker and Stigmatizing Representations of Mental Ill-Health.” Throughout the article, Goodwin and Tajjudin utilize the word “schizophrenia,” which the ordinary person often misuses. Schizophrenia

First, they discuss how the Joker has not met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis, yet the comics and movies are quick to diagnose him with this illness. Specifically, Tajjudin and Goodwin observe that although “the Joker may have experienced a traumatic event (criterion A for PTSD in APA), he has not been shown to experience recurrent intrusive memories or dreams or distress related to cues that resemble the event (criterion B)” (393). Essentially, they insist that, in general, society is quick to tie a singular traumatic event with a mental illness characterized only by repeated agonizing experiences. Additionally, Tajjudin and Goodwin suggest that this generalization is “particularly stigmatizing, as it “[creates] associations between military-originated PTSD and The Joker character” (393-394). Military members who suffer from PTSD suffer daily from what the Joker experiences in a singular scene, which makes these two situations incomparable and harmful to the mental health community. Thus, it is evident that Tajjudin and Goodwin present a strong argument that this misdiagnosis creates a toxic environment for movie

Although I do not struggle with PTSD or schizophrenia in particular, I do struggle with depression, anxiety, and OCD, and I empathize with others who feel misrepresented in the media. For example, it is not uncommon for someone to loosely describe themselves as having OCD when they are only bothered by the placement of an object in a distinct position. In reality, OCD affects how I approach my days. For instance, I must prepare beforehand for every single activity I will complete in order to feel fulfilled. OCD has damaged my relationships with others (platonic and romantic) and is more painful to deal with than most people would expect. As I write this paper, I have exhibited numerous OCD tendencies, including thinking intrusive thoughts and wanting to act on them. Thus, I do agree that the Joker’s irrational diagnoses continue to “[offer] readers spurious examples of what mental ill-health actually is” (396). I would also like to make it clear that not everything about mental illness needs to be depicted as stressful and hopeless. Accordingly, my encounters with mental illness have helped me mature faster than most of my peers and have left me with feelings of resilience and