The focus of this study was to explore the film image of the mental health professional (MHP) in importance of this study is founded upon the assumption that many film viewers' perceptions and expectations of the mental health profession and the process of psychotherapy and counseling are influenced by these film images.A total of seventeen films were identified. Of these, eight were randomly selected for a content analysis. A prevailing film image of the MHP and MHP's client was obtained. Following the content analysis, the films selected were further analyzed using a hermeneutic approach, which is a further development of phenomenolical theories. The study was descriptive in nature and, therefore, no statistical analyses were employed.The results of this study found that the film image of the MHP in current films is more negative than previous researchers have discovered. This image iscontemporary Hollywood feature length films. They explored within the social and political context of the 1980s, and associations are made among perceptions of authority figures, gender of film MHPs, and techniques employed by film MHPs. Recommendations are made for future researchers. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 40 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 38-40).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Texas, May, 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

There is a common perception that media depiction of mental health and illness is overwhelmingly negative and inaccurate. Media portrayal of mental illness is also viewed as an important element in forming and influencing society’s attitudes towards mental health issues, although there is no causal link to prove this. People with mental illness are most commonly shown as being violent and aggressive. Movie stereotypes that contribute to the stigmatisation of mentally ill persons include the mental patient as rebellious free spirit, homicidal maniac, seductress, enlightened member of society, narcissistic parasite, and zoo specimen. The profession of psychiatry is, has always been, and will likely continue to be a much enjoyed subject among filmmakers and their audiences, as it tends to provide exciting and emotionally compelling opportunities to portray personal struggles feared by most of humanity. This research will analyse the entertainment media in an attempt to provide evidence to support the above statement. The research will, furthermore, analyse the manner in which entertainment media represent the mentally ill with reference to popular films invariably produced in the US

The subject matter of mental illness has fascinated artists and writers for centuries. Filmmakers have responded in diverse and innovative ways to the artistic challenge of portraying mental illness. In this thesis, I focus on the representations of mental illness in six recent films from Australia and New Zealand: Sweetie (Jane Campion, 1989), An Angel at My Table (Campion, 1990), Bad Boy Bubby (Rolf de Heer, 1993), Heavenly Creatures (Peter Jackson, 1994), Angel Baby (Michael Rymer, 1995) and Shine (Scott Hicks, 1996). In each film, the protagonist is diagnosed, or treated by others, as mentally ill. Mental illness is portrayed as an affliction which the protagonist struggles to overcome. I argue that these films cultivate a relationship of empathy between the mentally ill character and the spectator. Whereas the related emotion of sympathy involves feeling sorry for someone, empathy involves feeling with that person; in other words, rather than feel for these mentally ill characters, we are invited to feel like they do. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Southern California, 1979. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-206). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Southern California, 1979. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-206).

From the socially conservative 1950s to the permissive 1970s, this project explores the ways in which insanity in women has been linked to their femininity and the expression or repression of their sexuality. An analysis of films from Hollywood's post-classical period (The Three Faces of Eve (1957), Lizzie (1957), Lilith (1964), Repulsion (1965), Images (1972) and 3 Women (1977)) demonstrates the societal tendency to label a woman's behavior as mad when it does not fit within the patriarchal mold of how a woman should behave. In addition to discussing the social changes and diagnostic trends in the mental health profession that define “appropriate” female behavior, each chapter also traces how the decline of the studio system and rise of the individual filmmaker impacted the films' ideologies with regard to mental illness and femininity.

Text in English / Psychologists-in-training are often presented with textbook definitions and descriptions of individuals presenting with psychopathologies. A major challenge for such texts is to effectively convey the relational issues and interpersonal dynamics of the mental disorders. The current study explores the role of film in enhancing intern clinical psychologists’ understanding of borderline personality disorder by specifically utilising the films Sylvia and Black Butterflies. A qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted with 15 clinical psychology interns at a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Gauteng, South Africa. The collected data consisted of responses to open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and was analysed according to an interpretive phenomenological analysis. Although the analysis was conducted inductively, the researcher also made deductive inferences from the data based on contemplations about the link between archetypes and images and learning and archetypal experiences. The importance of and connection to 21st-century learning skills, the creative learning spiral and a pedagogy of play were also taken into consideration while analysing the data. The findings of the current study suggest the ability of the two films to draw one in and to cause one to emotionally connect with the characters. Furthermore, films form an opportunity for trainees to practice psychodynamic formulations and not only focus on biological reductionisms of the disorder. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)