The other day, Maddie and I watched the movie Joker (2019). I wanted Maddie to see the movie because I had recently had a discussion with a friend who also struggles with mental illness about it. My friend expressed concern after watching the movie. She said: “I’m worried that people will think this is what I’m like, that people with mental illness are violent and dangerous”. I totally saw her point. The impact on her was clear. The movie left her feeling afraid, stigmatized, and hurt.
Interestingly, after I had seen the movie for the first time a few months prior, I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it pointed out that society often leaves people with mental illness high and dry, without any options to treat their mental illness, and then somehow expects them to function within the expectations of society. For example, in one scene, the main character, Arthur Fleck (who eventually becomes the Joker villain), is shown being told by his social worker that the program funding has been cut and she will no longer be able to see him. When he asks how he will get his medication, the social worker cannot offer him any options. I thought this was poignant and reflective of issues in our actual society.
Arthur later writes, “The worst part about having a mental illness is that people expect you to behave as if you don’t”. I related to this. I know what it’s like to be anxious but expected to act like everything is fine. I have friends who haven’t been able to access their medication. I know people who have lost services because of funding cuts. It’s bullshit. I was glad that the movie portrayed that. However, I missed the point that followed and led to my friend’s concerns. Furthermore, I failed to realize that I was watching the movie from a perspective of privilege. No one expects that someone with Generalized Anxiety Disorder will become violent as a result of their diagnosis. My aforementioned friend, who has much more stigmatizing diagnoses, was fearful because of the stigma that her diagnoses create. I failed to see that until she pointed it out to me.
In the movie, Arthur’s response to being taken off his medication was to spiral out of control, inciting a city-wide riot, murdering several people, and ultimately becoming a cartoonish villain in an overly dramatic, climactic scene, where he goes on live television and asks the television host: “What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash? I’ll tell you what you get- you get what you fucking deserve!” Arthur then proceeds to shoot the host on live television. This is clearly not the portrayal we want people to think of when they hear the words “mental illness”.
Part of the reason that I initially saw validity in the storyline (even after seeing this scene) was because in a way, you kind of see Arthur’s point, even though his actions are abhorrent, and I thought that was important. He was mistreated, he was left with no options, and because the system failed him he had nothing left to lose. I hoped this would make people realize that we need more care, more options for people who struggle with mental illness. However, my friend’s fears pointed out another important issue. The choices that Arthur Fleck’s character ultimately make are not the choices that the vast majority of people with mental illness make, no matter how much adversity, abuse, and systemic injustice we face, and many of us face a great deal. Maddie and I had been wanting to talk about misconceptions around violence and mental illness on the podcast for a long time, and this was the perfect jumping off point for the conversation.
Mental illness and violence are often portrayed as interconnected phenomena in the media and our culture at large, contributing to stigma around mental illness, and deterring many from seeking treatment when they need it (Varshney, M., Mahapatra, A., Krishnan, V., Gupta, R., Deb, K.S., 2016). Varshney et al. (2016) also note that the vast majority of violence is committed by people without mental health diagnoses.
Having a mental illness does increase your risk of committing a violent act by a slight margin. Depending on the population studied, this margin ranges. However, for example, around ten percent of people with psychotic disorders commit violent crimes, compared to two percent of the general population (Varshney et al., 2016). I think it’s important to note that if you are committing a violent crime while under the cloud of psychosis, you are probably also going to be much more likely to get caught than if you are clear-headed, so I wonder if this number is slightly skewed based on that, although this is purely my own speculation.
Furthermore, while “mental illness does contribute to the risk of violence, it is important to note that even if the elevated risk of violence in people with mental illness is reduced to the average risk in those without mental illness, an estimated ninety-six percent of the violence that currently occurs…would continue to occur (Varshney et al., 2016)”. Essentially, criminalizing mental illness will not solve our problems. Even if there was no increased risk of violence for those with mental illness, our rates of violence would only reduce by about four percent.
Another issue that is important to talk about here is the fact that people with mental illness are at a higher risk of being victims of violence than their counterparts who do not have mental illness. According to Weinstock (2018) in the ten years following diagnosis of a mental illness, risk of being a victim of a crime increases by fifty percent for men and sixty-four percent for women (the study did not make mention of gender minorities). Risk for violent crime was even greater, with an increase of seventy-six percent for men and three times the risk for women with mental illness compared to those without mental illness diagnoses. The point is this: people with mental illness are far more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators.
Often, people with mental illness are blamed for issues with gun violence in the United States. Calls for background checks, rather than stricter gun laws, are commonplace in the media. However, the statistics show that issues with violent crime would still exist to almost the same extent, even if mental illness were to be completely eradicated. Therefore, we need to look for solutions elsewhere and stop blaming people who are struggling with mental illness for the violence that plagues our society.
It’s easy to place blame on the most vulnerable in our society for the issues that seem too daunting to change. We have seen this time and again throughout history. A problem becomes too overwhelming, and the finger is pointed at a vulnerable population. The truth is, we are all responsible for being part of the solution to the issue of violence in our society.
Joker is a movie, created for entertainment, but it’s portrayal was frightening could be detrimental and increase fear and stigma for some with mental illness. We want to validate that experience for those who feel they may be stigmatized by the movie, and let you know that we see you, and we know you are not scary or violent simply because you have a mental illness. To all of our readers, whether you choose to see the movie or not, whether you like it or not, we’re not judging you. Just know that it is not an accurate representation of mental illness, and that violence and mental illness rarely overlap in the way the movie portrays it.
Finally, we want to ask all of you to do one thing. Next time you hear someone express fear or imply that mentally ill people are violent, speak up. Speak out against stigma, and stand up for what’s right and what’s true.
TOOLS
Educating yourself about the true statistics around violence and mental illness
Being an ally to those with stigmatizing diagnoses, if you do not have one
Standing up and educating others when misconceptions are expressed
by Leora Mirkin, LCSW
CITATIONS
Joker. (2019).
Varshney, M., Mahapatra, A., Krishnan, V., Gupta, R., Deb, K.S.Violence and mental illness: what is the true story?J Epidemiol Community Health 2016;70:223-225.
Weinstock, C. P. (2018, June 1). Risk of being a crime victim goes up with mental illness diagnosis. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-mentalillness-crime-victims/risk-of-being-a-crime-victim-goes-up-with-mental-illness-diagnosis-idUSKCN1IX5W2.