Guttersnipe
mortal ally
I am not quite schizophrenic, but I do suffer a similar condition known as schizoaffective disorder (bipolar subtype). I haven't had a psychotic episode in six years. The worst thing I can remember doing during my break was walking into a random neighbor's house to tell them that I had a psychic connection with my dog. I was never violent or malicious.
Why are people with mental illnesses (especially schizophrenes, etc.) so often portrayed as chaotic and aggressive?
Example: In the film The Dark Knight, Dent and Batman discover one of Joker's underlings who apparently has paranoid schizophrenia. While I think that the actor played the character well, Batman's admonishment against Dent antagonizing the man contains something disturbing to me. After telling Dent of the man's mental status, he adds, "--the kind of mind the Joker attracts." In reality, some people characterize the Joker of being psychotic rather than psychopathic.
In Joker, the most recent film, mental illness is, I suppose, portrayed more realistically, but I wonder if the illness is inseperable from the protagonist (if I can call him that)...Surely a sane man might go to the same lengths of revenge to counter his abuse?
And let's not forget that so many antagonists in slasher films have psychosis on some level.
So why is there so much fear or discomfort for people like me who wouldn't hurt a fly (so to speak)? Also, are there any characters in media who have schizophrenia but happen to be good?
Why are people with mental illnesses (especially schizophrenes, etc.) so often portrayed as chaotic and aggressive?
Example: In the film The Dark Knight, Dent and Batman discover one of Joker's underlings who apparently has paranoid schizophrenia. While I think that the actor played the character well, Batman's admonishment against Dent antagonizing the man contains something disturbing to me. After telling Dent of the man's mental status, he adds, "--the kind of mind the Joker attracts." In reality, some people characterize the Joker of being psychotic rather than psychopathic.
In Joker, the most recent film, mental illness is, I suppose, portrayed more realistically, but I wonder if the illness is inseperable from the protagonist (if I can call him that)...Surely a sane man might go to the same lengths of revenge to counter his abuse?
And let's not forget that so many antagonists in slasher films have psychosis on some level.
So why is there so much fear or discomfort for people like me who wouldn't hurt a fly (so to speak)? Also, are there any characters in media who have schizophrenia but happen to be good?