In lieu of the Oscars taking place this evening, one of the nation's leading child and adolescent psychiatrists and founding president of The Child Mind Institute, Dr. Harold Koplewicz, speaks out about how Hollywood is making "major strides" in recognizing the importance of mental health. As Dr. Koplewicz points out, recently there has been a significant influx of films, including a few nominated for Academy Awards, that shed light on mental illness and emotional hardships that are all too prevalent today. Such movies can have a dramatic impact on the public's knowledge of mental health. Specifically, "these films can change people's minds about mental health and learning disabilities", in addition to helping end #stigma and raise awareness if they provide accurate portrayals of psychiatric disorders and psychological stress.
"Mental health is often misunderstood, but it doesn't have to be. Accurate portrayals of mental illnesses such as autism or bipolar disorder in the media help the general public better understand the reality behind these diseases. One in five children copes with a psychiatric or learning disorder. Yet parents who notice signs of psychiatric or learning disorders in their children wait, on average, two years to get help for them. There are various reasons for this — parents are scared, they hope their son or daughter will outgrow it, or they think their child is just a late developer. But a major reason people hesitate to get help is because of the stigma attached to mental illness. The fact is, mental illness is real, common and treatable. That's where films like this year's Oscar nominees come in."
Read more here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/top-psychiatrist-oscar-nominees-making-775536
"Mental health is often misunderstood, but it doesn't have to be. Accurate portrayals of mental illnesses such as autism or bipolar disorder in the media help the general public better understand the reality behind these diseases. One in five children copes with a psychiatric or learning disorder. Yet parents who notice signs of psychiatric or learning disorders in their children wait, on average, two years to get help for them. There are various reasons for this — parents are scared, they hope their son or daughter will outgrow it, or they think their child is just a late developer. But a major reason people hesitate to get help is because of the stigma attached to mental illness. The fact is, mental illness is real, common and treatable. That's where films like this year's Oscar nominees come in."
Read more here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/top-psychiatrist-oscar-nominees-making-775536
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