When television shows or movies are able to include themes, characters, and plot devices that contribute towards furthering the audience’s understanding of mental health issues, it is truly something special. In recent years, there seems to be an influx of media that contains suicide or a certain mental health disorder as a central component to the plot; A Star is Born, Thirteen Reasons Why, Silver Linings Playbook, Trinkets, All the Bright Places, and Atypical, are a few prominent examples. Celebrities and influencers also seem to be coming forward and speaking more candidly about their experiences with mental health and trauma. It is crucial to talk about these matters and to educate our communities in order to be more inclusive and understanding of those struggles and feelings. However, the educational component seems to be missing from those movies, television shows and testimonials.
The movie, Words on Bathroom Walls, is a great example of how media tends to distort the reality of suicide and mental health in order to be more entertaining and tolerable for the audience. Words on Bathroom Walls is about a teenage boy and the perils of navigating life at home, starting a new school, and young love. What makes this movie different from the rest and more “interesting” is that the boy also has schizophrenia. This takes on a life of itself since the main character is in constant battle with these different voices that bombard him with unnecessary fear, anxiety and shame. In order to keep these feelings at bay, he takes different medications. This movie is powerful because it sheds light on the turmoils people might experience taking medication to ease a mental health disorder. One of the hardest parts about having a mental health disorder is treating it because every medication affects everyone differently. The process of finding the right prescription or two is all trial and error which, unfortunately, the movie doesn’t show.
The main character hesitantly began taking a medication that eased the symptoms of his schizophrenia but one of the side effects was that his hands began to shake, preventing him from being able to pursue his passion. So, he stopped taking it. As a result, his illness convinced him to take the whole bottle of medication. He ends up having a mental breakdown at the homecoming dance and is admitted into a treatment center. The movie ends with his parents taking him out of treatment because he told them that they just need to trust him and that he can handle his illness himself. I know that there are plenty of people who don’t believe in medication and look for alternative methods to cope, but there are also a lot of people who experience incredible results from their medication. One method is not better than the other. The common denominator between anyone struggling with a mental health disorder is that they need to do something. We need to be just as productive when it comes to taking care of our mental well being as we are about taking care of our physical well being.
My frustration from this movie stemmed from the fact that there was no resolution in regards to the main character’s mental well being. I want to know how the main character decided to handle his schizophrenia, because he can’t just say, “I’m going to be fine” and leave it at that. Mental health disorders are not curable, they don’t just go away, but that’s exactly how the movie portrayed it. The difference between someone who is healthy with a mental health disorder and someone who is not is one’s ability to maintain methods of treatment. Everyone has different coping mechanisms. My personal favorites are taking medication, talking to my therapist, exercising, and writing. If I didn’t do these things and scraped by doing the bare minimum, I would be a lonely, depressed and anxious mess who never left their room. I am extremely lucky to be able to discover these coping skills, for I know it is not easy. Properly taking care of ourselves is hard work and sometimes it may take a while to discover what works and what doesn’t. That doesn’t mean we should give up and accept defeat. Talk to your doctor, try something new, get back into the hobby you gave up on years ago, and just continue to seek what it is that will make you feel better. These acts can be small, but the impact they might have on you could be huge.
Woodrick Writes 