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Post by Admin on Oct 25, 2016 15:50:13 GMT -4
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Post by Lee Wagner on Oct 25, 2016 17:13:09 GMT -4
I think its great that mental health awareness is gaining recognition in a positive manner! It isn't appropriate to mock mental illness and depict it as scary and haunting. That is negative reinforcement and people will be less inclined to get help when they need it if what they see in haunted houses is horrifying and scary. I think this will make a positive impact towards reducing the traumatizing stigma associated with mental illness.
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Post by Gurinder Sidhu- Extern on Oct 25, 2016 18:46:29 GMT -4
Mental illness specifically using asylums has been going on for more than two decades. These types of attractions during Halloween and even in films has helped reinforce a negative stereotype of mental health from the 1960s. Almost any haunted attraction in the United States features an asylum with “crazy patient.” People going through these attractions are negatively influenced. They may believe that any one with mental illness is scary or belongs shut up in an asylum. There are not too many cultural projects such as films, or television shows that highlight the true nature of mental health. Only recently have there been news articles online that show a positive face to mental illness in the United States.
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Post by Sherene Falconer on Oct 25, 2016 21:08:09 GMT -4
Mental illness has always be misunderstood. We have been taught to fear people with mental illnesses and sadly these Halloween attractions serves to reinforce our fear of those with mental illness. I believe that only information can help to remedy this stereotype. It is not difficult to see how challenging it will be for a teenager, who suffers from mental illness, to seek the help they need or to open up about mental illness because of the fear of being stigmatized. Being a teenager is hard enough without the added challenges of being seen as “different” or outright “crazy”. Places like Cedar Fair in Kansas, who has removed Asylum Island from their attractions should be commended for seemingly becoming more sensitive to those with a mental illnesses. I can only hope that those who protests these public display of misrepresented mental illnesses will continue to lend their voices to speak for those who may not be able to do so.
Sherene Falconer (MS 3)
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Post by Yvette Mbangowah on Oct 26, 2016 12:11:25 GMT -4
I am not a fan of the Halloween season. I do not find anything fun or entertaining is making exhibits of scary things. It is even more annoying to me when serious issues are depicted as scary for entertainment. Halloween is all about depicting the scary, and using mental illness as part of this process can be damaging to society. It is true that, some aspects of mental illness can come across as scary. A patient in their manic episode could be very violent, as depicted in some of these attractions. However, as explained, the concern is when mentally ill people are depicted as all cray, without concern for how the rest of the society sees them.In these attractions, people with mental illness are depicted as unpredictable and unstable. In the society, predictability is desired, therefore people generally avoid people that are unpredictable. If attractions are depicting people with mental illness as unpredictable all the time, then there is furthering of the stigma. People with mental illness end up being avoided by others. Also, people who might have problems and would've sought for attention end up being afraid that they will be labeled and prefer not mention their problems to others. This over hinders the treatment of the mental illness. As mentioned, these exhibits don't show people with cancer as being scary. Mental illness is a serious condition and should be treated as such.
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Post by Williams Azubike on Oct 26, 2016 13:45:24 GMT -4
Totally do away with Halloween attractions. I say this because if all depicted forms of mental illnesses are eradicated from Halloween attractions leaving just a darkened room and awful sounds, people would still be terrified about who or what might be coming out of the dark. People get scared of what is coming to harm or kill them. Anyone who harms or kills people while not trying to defend one’s self is mentally ill therefore, attractions without all forms of mental illness patient depictions is still indirectly pointing towards people with mental illness.
I have no solutions for curbing mental illness depictions in scary movies and television shows.
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Post by Morgan Nichols on Oct 26, 2016 20:01:43 GMT -4
I have ALWAYS felt weird going through haunted houses, though i love the sort of adrenaline rush that comes along with them. The fascination of mental health is portrayed everywhere, and around halloween more than any other time of year. I went to 4 haunted houses this year and thinking back, every single one portrayed someone in a straight jacket, or a hospital bed where someone was restrained on it. The problem though, is bigger than just halloween. The problem is the american fascination with horror movies, graphic video games, etc; things that both desensitize the public to death and also unrealistically portray certain scenarios. Hollywood has always been into a certain "shock" value and especially when depicting inpatient psych, it never fails to show something horrific. At one point that was the case; that hospitalized psych patients were put through horrific conditions, but now it is very different and far, far less barbaric, but the general populace doesn't know this thanks to what they see on T.V. I would say that until media portrays mental health in a correct image that is more accepting, this will continue to be a presence in halloween attractions.
Morgan Nichols (MS3)
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Post by Elvis Oppong on Oct 26, 2016 23:41:06 GMT -4
We live in such a politically correct world that one must always watch what they say or do but it is different when it comes to mental health. I'm glad mental illness is gaining such momentum in terms of awareness. How mental illness is perceived during Halloween dehumanizes those actually suffering from mental illness and such portrayal can be detrimental. Such perception can prevent those that need help from seeking any medical attention as they do not want to viewed as being weird. Also, such stigma can impact generations to come, as they will view those with mental illness as being dangerous to be around. Overall, closing theme parks in my opinion is not the only way to address this issue but rather, educating the public about mental health issues to increase awareness will help.
Elvis Oppong(MS3)
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Post by reshikamendis on Oct 27, 2016 4:44:11 GMT -4
Considering mental illness as scary as halloween is beyond reality. Especially as for a patient with any kind of mental illness it is difficult to express and come forward to seek treatment in the first place. By allowing mental illness to be used for entertainment purposes during halloween periods can reduce confidence in those who need help to allow themselves to do so. It can definitely cause unwanted forms of discrimination which is not entirely necessary. Some forma of mental illnesses are fully functional with treatment and this should not be in the eye of a halloween "joke".
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Post by chizhang on Oct 27, 2016 8:59:57 GMT -4
Throughout history, humankind has always feared the unknown, and mental illnesses top the charts when it comes to things that we didn’t fully understand. Dating back to the Salem Witch Trials, many people with mental illnesses were seen as being possessed by some kind of evil spirit or the spawn of Satan. At first glance, associating the paranormal with mental illnesses seemed somewhat logical, and even just decades ago, healthcare professionals shied away from those severely afflicted with an ill mind. Back then, no one would think that their neighbor had schizophrenia, or that the teacher of their children had bipolar disorder, etc etc. But because of advances in CBT, pharmacotherapy, and the overall recognition of the existence of mental illnesses, more and more patients afflicted by those conditions are able to lead normal and productive lives. In the modern world, we should no longer associate ghosts, spirits, and Halloween with those of us suffering from mental illnesses. Because now, those people are our colleagues, our friends, and our spin-class instructors.
Chi Zhang (MS3)
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Post by Ely C. Andrade on Oct 27, 2016 9:50:56 GMT -4
Halloween has definitely amplified the stigma placed on mental illnesses. Patients suffering with mental illness should live in a society where they can feel comfortable seeking treatment, without feeling ashamed. Attaching fear to mental illness makes it difficult for patients to express their struggles to friends and family. How can our society support/understand more about the realities of mental illnesses if we have been trained to be afraid of them? I applaud the mental health advocates for their efforts in reaching out to Halloween Asylum attractions throughout the country. Hopefully the efforts continue until they are completely eradicated. I believe this change will allow people to learn more about mental illnesses in a better light, and will allow our children to grow up understanding how to better help those around us who suffer from these illnesses.
Ely Andrade MS3
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Tunisha Zaman (MS3)
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Post by Tunisha Zaman (MS3) on Oct 27, 2016 12:32:45 GMT -4
Misrepresenting mental illness during Halloween is a significant issue because we tend to forget that the people who are fighting through these mental illnesses on a daily basis are people, who have no control over their condition. It’s not like a Schizophrenic person is choosing to have auditory or visual hallucinations. These people who are struggling with their mental illnesses are admitted to these psychiatric hospitals for the sole purpose of helping them with their illness and not hurting them. They are getting the help that they need so that they don’t hurt themselves due to the chemical imbalances in their brain. Showcasing that during Halloween in a false manner is insensitive and should not occur because nobody understands what these people are going through except for him or her. Being a Disney princess or a character from “The Walking Dead” is one thing, but representing a psychiatric patient is uncalled for because these are real people with real problems.
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Post by Elio Monsour on Oct 27, 2016 13:24:35 GMT -4
The fact that the Halloween Industry capitalizes on mental illness is certainly disturbing, and undeniably unacceptable. There should be more rules implemented to stop inaccurately portraying mental illness and other sensitive subject areas that are grossly offensive (i.e. cultural appropriation of Native Americans or “Blackface"). Halloween is supposed to be enjoyable for all age groups and should still be spooky, but there is a fine line between funny and disrespectful. I’m glad this article addresses this issue, and does an excellent job at shining light to this ongoing problem. By taking these measures, we’d be able to aid in further destigmatizing mental illness as a society--and hopefully a domino effect will ensue.
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Post by Opeyemi Owa on Oct 27, 2016 15:07:41 GMT -4
The level of stigmatazation that mental illnesses are exposed to is so dire that it has become almost second nature to people, and Halloween is just a time when it becomes evident. Being from Nigeria, I'm constantly looking to the healthcare in first world countries is to gauge just how far behind my country is. When it comes to the issue of mental illness, based on what i've observed so far in the states, i fear that there might be no hope for Nigeria. But even as bad as it is, i feel the real issue is simply a lack of understanding and education on the topic. Its hard in the hustle and bustle of this day and age for people to pay to much mind to any issue that doesn't directly affect them. We all have to do better. I commend all the people taking steps to rectify this.
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Post by Samantha Ehrlich on Oct 27, 2016 16:12:48 GMT -4
It is wonderful that an advocacy group like NAMI is stepping up to articulate the hardship and difficulty of individual’s who are suffering with mental illness. Many patients who are dealing with a variety of mental illnesses are often afraid of pursuing treatment. Regardless of the great work that physicians, psychologists and counselors do, I think there still remains a very real stigma that is associated with seeking help for a mental illness. Many people still envision painful and inhumane forms of therapy as the only means of ‘curing’ mental illness. Having many themed ‘psych ward’ haunted houses around the country only serves to perpetuate antiquated and misrepresented images of mental health. As children of all ages visit these attractions they are being taught through imagery that mental health is something to fear and that the people being institutionalized are ‘not normal’. It is an insensitive and cruel way to label people who are dealing with mental health diagnoses. I am very happy that people are speaking out and contacting the owners of these attractions and having them closed or reconfigured.
Samantha Ehrlich (MS3)
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