Abstract
The horror film trope of the psychiatric ill and dangerously violent individual has clearly brought about damaging public misconceptions of psychiatric illness. While these criticisms are valid, it is also the case that preconceptions of horror might prevent careful analysis of the ways that horror cinema can reduce mental health stigma. This is because much of current horror is post-modern. The on-screen narrative is constructed such that neither the subject of the horror nor the person digesting the story can be certain whether what the subject experiences is real or a function of the subject’s internal state. In this sense, those who turn to horror can find themselves in much the same predicament as those who are trying to make sense of psychosis. The horror enthusiast and the individual contemplating another’s psychosis must ask themselves how best to understand whether a person’s experience is consistent with reality. This paper argues that this gap in shared reality is effectively bridged through the active implementation of empathic connection. Ultimately, consumers of horror and those considering individuals with psychotic symptoms must strive to feel empathy for the experience of the individual whether or not what the individual experiences is consistent with consensual reality. As empathy is powerfully and measurably associated with decreased stigma, horror can serve as a potent avenue for decreasing dangerous misconceptions of mental illness by diminishing the othering that is associated with biases and mistreatment. This workshop involves audience participation and clips from stigmatizing and arguably destigmatizing horror cinema.
Presenters
Steven SchlozmanChief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatry, The University of Vermont College of Medicine, Vermont, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Beyond Borders: The Role of the Humanities in Reimagining Communities
KEYWORDS
Film, Horror, Stigma, Mental Health
