Mental Health Awareness Month

 

Mental Health Awareness Month: How Have the “Memeification” and Tabloid-Style Coverage of Mental Illness Hurt Us All?

By Jamie GreysonLast Updated May 23, 2021

Actor, author and mental health advocate Carrie Fisher poses on a window ledge in 1980. Photo Courtesy: Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

Before she passed away in 2016, actor, author and advocate Carrie Fisher wrote a column for The Guardian answering a reader's question about living with bipolar disorder. Fisher, who received her bipolar diagnosis at 24 but didn't really accept said diagnosis until four years later, had spoken openly about her mental illness for decades. For a while, that was something of a rarity in Hollywood, and there's no doubt Fisher, known most widely for playing Leia Organa in the Star Wars franchise, did her part to undo the stigma surrounding mental illness.

“We have been given a challenging illness, and there is no other option than to meet those challenges,” Fisher wrote in response to the reader's question. “Think of it as an opportunity to be heroic... an emotional survival. An opportunity to be a good example to others who might share our disorder.” Fisher went on to say that the reader was lucky to have been diagnosed — and accepting of that diagnosis — at such a young age, which stands in stark contrast to the ways the media often covers mental illness and disorder diagnoses.

“I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that," Fisher said in an interview with ABC. "I survived that, I’m still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you.” For her work on ending mental health discrimination — and for her tireless efforts to combat stigma — the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) honored Fisher with a prestigious award in 2001. Later, Fisher received another award for her contributions and outspokenness, this time from Harvard College. "Many people thank me for talking about it," Fisher told The Harvard Gazette, "and mothers can tell their kids when they are upset with the diagnosis that Princess Leia is bipolar, too."

But not all public figures feel comfortable being outspoken like Fisher . That's largely due to how they're treated in the media — and because, despite advocates' best efforts, stigma persists. When it comes to celebrities and mental illness, things can get complicated, to say the least. For example, before learning about Kanye West’s bipolar disorder diagnosis, fans and critics alike found the rapper’s public persona to be a form of entertainment — something that made for a viral soundbite or meme. However, West has been open about his diagnosis for quite some time now; what the public once thought were amusing statements are now cast in a different light.

On one hand, we need to stop laughing at mental illness — we need to stop making manic episodes into something viral or meme-worthy. On the other hand, celebrities have immense platforms and, with those platforms, there comes a certain amount of responsibility. That is, mental illness isn’t an excuse for abusing one’s reach, privilege or platform, but it is "a reason" (via WBUR) — one that we must discuss with more nuance and consideration than a Tweet can hold.

Editor's Note: This article contains mentions of various mental illnesses and mental health disorders as well as discussions of how some of these illnesses and disorders are portrayed in media coverage surrounding public figures. It's important to note that depictions, or celebrities' views on their own illnesses or disorders, may not resonate for some readers, as everyone's experience with mental illness and mental health disorders is nuanced and specific.

Contextualizing Mental Illness in a Culture Obsessed With Celebrity Tabloids

Thinking back on 2007 West, before he was public about his diagnosis, music critic Naima Cochrane told NPR affiliate WBUR that "It felt then — which is very different now — like Kanye was kind of in on the 'Kanye is an a------' joke," she says, "which was actually part of the persona." Fast forward to July 2020: West gives an interview about his potential presidential bid.

Photo Courtesy: Rich Fury/Coachella/Getty Images

News outlets and folks on social media alike took to mocking Kanye’s statements and Tweets — after all, the musician was not only declaring his run for president, but he had also controversially buddied up with Donald Trump a few years earlier and called being an enslaved person "a choice," thus minimizing the violence enacted against Black people since America’s founding. In the wake of said interview, The Root’s J’na Jefferson wrote, "I personally don’t think anyone should be giving Kanye any attention, and talking about him or making fun of him instead of encouraging him to get help doesn’t do anyone any favors."

Instead of validation — of recognizing West’s actions as a result of a manic episode — tabloids shame him. Unsolicited opinions flood social media. The result? Well, according to a 2017 survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, nearly one in five Americans lives with a mental illness. That means every time there’s a public response to one of West’s manic episodes, millions of people living with mental illnesses see these responses to a celebrity they might, in some ways, identify with, and the stigma and shame persist.

Of course, West isn’t the only celebrity whose mental illness has been made into a source of entertainment. From actor/singer Lindsay Lohan, who has been public about her alcoholism, to former Nickelodeon star Amanda Bynes, who has been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder and manic depression, celebrity mental health has become tabloid fodder. Just look at the #FreeBritney movement, which has cropped up around pop singer Britney Spears, who, at 40 years old, is still under strict conservatorship and very public scrutiny.

Bassey Ikpi, author of I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying: Essays, has publicly advocated for the media to reassess how it covers celebrity mental illness and actions stemming from living with said illnesses. "Mental illness is not an excuse, but it is a reason," Ikpi told WBUR. "And it has to be contextualized. It has to be framed so that people understand that the way that one behaves is the literal definition of what a mental illness is."

How Public Figures Living With Mental Illness Can Help Us See Ourselves More Clearly

In the Root feature "Stop Shoving a Mic in Kanye’s Face When He Really Needs a Hand," writer Stephen A. Crockett Jr. notes that West’s story isn’t unlike that of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. "At one point Basquiat was having a hard time with heroin but his art was going for record prices, so instead of getting him help with his addiction, his then art dealer just moved him into the basement of the art gallery where he lived and did heroin and made art," Crockett writes. "We all know how that turned out."

Brain Dump

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HOW TO UNTANGLE YOUR MIND WITH A BRAIN DUMP

Last Updated: December 21, 2020 By: Shelby Abrahamsen *Posts may contain affiliate links. Read our full disclosure*

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When your mind starts taking you in stress circles, pull out a pen and create a brain dump list to help you release some of the mental pressure!

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THE PLAGUE OF A MESSY MIND

Sometimes, your brain is a mess. You might be anxious, worried, stressed, or so full of ideas that you can’t focus. It’s a frustrating condition that can lead to even more stress. I find that when my brain is especially restless and haggard, I begin to fall out of my healthy routines and habits. How do you fix this overwhelming sensation? Well, I like to use a method called the brain dump.

WHAT IS A BRAIN DUMP?

A brain dump is simply the act of dumping all the contents of your mind onto paper as one might dump the contents of a purse onto a table. You are spilling out stressors, your nagging thoughts, your pesky annoyances. Simply open up a valve in your mind and let all those thoughts flow out of your hand and onto some paper. Write until you feel like the pressure inside of you is lessened and you can take a deep breath. Then you will have achieved a brain dump.

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WHY BRAIN DUMPS WORK

You might think this sounds silly. Listing out your problems and anxieties on paper isn’t that big of a deal, right? How can that solve anything?

The reason a brain dump is effective is that it allows you to capture abstract thoughts and make them corporeal. When you’re stressed or overthinking, you have a tornado of thoughts swirling in your head. The winds are whipping, the cows are flying, and nothing is able to be captured. A nagging worry might swing into your conscious for a moment, then a different thought, then a different thought. Eventually, the first nagging worry will swing by again, and it will continue to do so unless you pin it down. Trying to capture these thoughts with no tool is like trying to catch smoke with your hands. It’s impossible.

But if you turn to paper, you can nail things down in absolutes. Once you write something down, it can’t leave. It can’t take another cycle in the brain tornado to haunt you again – it’s right there on the paper, right where you left it. So you can work through all your thoughts and pin them down one by one. You can stop chasing after half-formed ideas and put them in the inescapable form of the written word.

WHAT TO WRITE IN YOUR BRAIN DUMP

Okay, so the brain dump works. But how do you know what to write when you sit down with your pen in hand? You can write specific to-dos that you have been meaning to deal with, like:

• Replant the wilting succulent
• Practice my hand lettering
• Gather addresses for Christmas cards
• Work on that looming paper
• Take the leftovers for work tomorrow

However, your brain dump doesn’t have to be so task oriented. You can just as easily write down something on your mind with no particular action plan, such as:

• Upcoming Las Vegas trip
• Camping and hiking
• Stickers
• Politics
• Emails
• My coworker Cindy

If it’s something that bugs you on a regular basis, then it can go on the brain dump.

THE NEXT STEP

When you have written a brain dump and you feel satisfied with your work, you have a few options for your next step. You can look at your list, identify what is stressing you out, and make definitive plans to tackle those problems. That’s always a good option! In fact, if you want to explore a particular problem deeper, you can always use a List of 100 to further analyze a subject. Where a brain dump is a shotgun blast, the List of 100 is a sniper. It allows you to work with one particular theme and delve into your subconscious in a truly unique way.

While making a plan and taking action is a solid next step, it isn’t the only one. You can always set down your pen and walk away. Sometimes, you don’t need to do anything in particular. You may feel like you should take action, that you need to go go go! However, there are moments where you simply need to acknowledge your problems and then take care of yourself. A brain dump is a way to take care of your own mental health by letting it serve as a sort of pressure valve. It’s a good way to reduce stress and clear your mind so you can take a bath in peace.

UNTANGLE YOUR BRAIN

The next time you start to feel yourself getting overwhelmed with too much brain activity, pull out your favorite pen and settle in for a brain dump. It doesn’t take long, but it can go a long way in helping you tackle your problems, relax your mind, and take care of yourself. This regular maintenance is as important as cleaning – once you’ve emptied your brain of these pesky problems, you make room for new ideas and thoughts to take root. So go ahead – take out your brain and give it a good shake with a brain dump!

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Filed Under: BULLET JOURNAL, HOW TO'S Tagged With: brain dump, bullet journal, how to, productivity, self care, stress, what is a brain dump

ABOUT SHELBY ABRAHAMSEN

Shelby is the owner and chief content creator for Little Coffee Fox and has been a full-time blogger for the last four years. In addition to blogging here on Little Coffee Fox, she is a professional letterer, watercolorist, and organization guru. In addition to art, she has a passion for helping people discover ways to combine creativity and productivity in their daily lives. Shelby has been featured extensively online in publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, Buzzfeed, and The Huffington Post.

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HELLO THERE, I’M SHELBY

I'm a twenty-something who has always struggled with productivity. As long as I can remember, I’ve been frustrated by procrastination and my complete inability to get my life together. I set out on my quest and discovered...Read More…

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