Internet, we need to have a talk.
I’ve had a number of readers ask why I’ve neglected to write about Amanda Bynes this last year. It’s simple, really. I don’t believe that celebrities are “fair game,” and that, when they have very human and very difficult struggles, I should capitalize on those things by writing an article, however well-intentioned. I believe they are deserving of privacy and respect, by virtue of their being people.
However, I’m making an exception here, because in the midst of the negative and callous press that Bynes has received, I think it’s time we had a chat about it from a different perspective. And then, after we’re done, I think it’s time we stop speculating about it altogether. Deal?
First and foremost, there is no way for us to know what, if anything, Bynes has been diagnosed with. The family has denied schizophrenia and bipolar diagnoses. And when I write this article about Bynes, I am only operating on the possibility – not the assumption – that these diagnoses are true.
Until Amanda Bynes comes out and self-identifies this way, it is not our place to make an assumption about her mental state. Most of us are not psychiatrists, and even if we were, none of us can make a diagnosis based on a Twitter feed. And it is Bynes’ prerogative to keep certain aspects of her life, including her health care, private.
For the sake of argument, we’re going to roll with the possibility, not the assumption, that Bynes may have bipolar and schizophrenia.
And on that note, I’m going to offer you a sobering statistic:
People with co-occurring bipolar and schizophrenia have one of the highest suicide attempt rates of any group. 70.6% of these individuals will attempt suicide in their lifetime.
You would think this would frighten us, and that we would be offering Bynes compassion on the mere basis that what she may be facing is, without a doubt, deadly.
Yet the vast majority of press and articles surrounding Bynes’ mental state seems to ignore the stark reality of her struggle, and instead, opt to mock her erratic and unusual behavior. Rather than recognizing that she may have an illness, they have turned mental illness into a spectacle to watch, enjoy, and ridicule.
We, as a culture, are alarmingly desensitized to the seriousness of mental illness, particularly when it affects celebrities. Whenever a famous person has a “breakdown,” or goes off to rehab, there is always a sensationalized headline and a gawking that we collectively do. We treat it like a performance to consume and be shocked by, to laugh at, to enjoy.
We have made mental illness into a form of entertainment, and this is reflected in the articles that have been written about Amanda Bynes as of late.
If no one has explained this to you, let me be the first to say that it is morally repugnant that we, as a society, are mocking mentally ill people.
If it is indeed true that Amanda Bynes has both bipolar and schizophrenia, she faces an uphill battle. These are both diseases with high mortality rates, and devastating symptoms that are difficult to treat. And while she faces these illnesses, the entire world is watching. To have the audacity of laughing and poking fun as she struggles with these painful disorders is truly disgusting.
It’s all fun and games until someone dies, as was the case with Robin Williams. When celebrities have very public “breakdowns,” we find them entertaining, sensational, intriguing. When celebrities die from these illnesses, however, we grieve for them, celebrate their lives, and profess our sympathy for their struggle.
Amanda Bynes may be battling two illnesses that could very easily kill her. Why is she not receiving the same level of respect, tact, and compassion that we afford those who have already died at the hands of these same illnesses?
Are we only deserving of dignity and respect if we die?
Does Amanda Bynes need to die by suicide before we will start valuing her life? How fucked up is that?
No matter what Bynes posts on twitter, or what wigs she wears, what we need to understand as outsiders is that something very difficult and frightening is happening to Amanda Bynes — and it is irresponsible to talk about it any other way, whether it’s to poke fun at it, or reduce it to her being “crazy.” In either scenario, it diminishes her personhood.
Why this reminder needs to happen is beyond me, but apparently it does: Bynes needs compassion, not ridicule, not laughter. Her struggles, whatever they may be, do not exist for your enjoyment.
Anyone who thinks an involuntary psychiatric hold is fun or amusing is horribly misguided. Anyone who thinks psychosis or paranoia is a walk in the park has clearly never been there. Anyone who thinks schizophrenia or bipolar is hilarious has never had their life devastated by these disorders.
I have. And I can tell you – there’s no pain on earth quite like it.
Anyone who has forgotten that Amanda Bynes is a human being first and foremost needs to step back, and do some serious soul-searching.
Any journalist or columnist who thinks Bynes’ behavior is great material for a lighthearted article needs to reexamine their motivations, and decide for themselves what kind of writer they want to be. Someone who profits off of someone’s pain? Or someone with integrity?
As someone with bipolar disorder, I want to offer a reminder to those who do not suffer from the disorder that making a mockery out of our struggle is dehumanizing. This should go without saying, but apparently it must be said: Mental illness is not a joke. Mental illness is not funny. Mental illness does not exist to amuse you.
If Amanda Bynes has taught us anything, it’s that mental illness can, in fact, touch anyone. It exists in every community, every city, every race, every social class, every gender. Celebrities are not immune to these devastating disorders. In fact, 13.6 million Americans live with a serious mental illness, and if Amanda Bynes is among them, she will need support and compassion to get through it.
What message are we sending, as journalists, bloggers, and writers, if we treat mental illness with the same brevity and amusement as writing about Kim Kardashian’s ass?
Did you cry when Robin Williams died, but laugh when Amanda Bynes was taken to the hospital? Why is that? I’m challenging you to really think about the ways that we treat folks with mental illness.
When we make these disorders into a joke, we become complicit in creating a culture where mentally ill people are taught to feel ashamed, isolated, and broken. And when we uphold that stigma instead of challenging it, it’s not surprising that so many people with these illnesses opt to take their own lives.
We need to do better. Not just for Amanda Bynes, but for all the people worldwide who suffer from these disorders.
It’s not a spectacle. It’s a goddamn illness.
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UPDATE (10/20/14): Due to the confusion surrounding the title, the article has been renamed from “It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Dies: Amanda Bynes, Robin Williams, and the Spectacle of Mental Illness,” to omit the first portion. The intent of the original title was to compare and contrast the treatment of celebrities before and after they die — never to suggest that Bynes had passed away.
UPDATE (10/22/14): A new article has been written in response to this piece going viral.
UPDATE (11/9/14): Commenters have pointed out that co-occurring bipolar and schizophrenia is commonly referred to as “schizoaffective disorder.”
UPDATE (11/14/14): There is now an animated version of this article!
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As of 11/15, comments have been disabled on this article.
588 responses
Reblogged this on inTuneRecords and commented:
So very true. Mental illness is just that an illness that needs treatment and is often misdiagnosed or regarded as just crazy or just not that important. Those people are not crazy their sick. Once we understand and realize this i believe we will see less of our loved ones fatally treating themselves with suicide. Ugh come on people get it together!
This is such a fantastic piece, it is hard hitting and powerful, providing a much needed insight into the horrible reality of mental health problems. It highlights the true hypocrisy that we find ourselves surrounded by in modern society, I could not have put it better myself.
Bravo.
Reblogged this on haleema26's Blog and commented:
True
Great post.
Thank you.
Reblogged this on sarahalway and commented:
But anyways, it’s just a thought.. but a really good one indeed. Please read.
Thank you! This is one of the best articles I’ve ever read about mental health. I’ve had depression since I was younger and I wish a lot more people had the same attitude towards mental health issues as you so again thank you!
A fantastic piece, this sort of writing gives me hope that humanity might not be doomed after all. Thanks 🙂
Free Amanda. Thank you for this. It’s also incredibly disturbing no one appears to be taking what she said about sexual abuse seriously.
Reblogged this on lovelylikebeestings and commented:
Even if her diagnosis is different than what is considered as a possibility, no matter what the diagnosis and whether or not we ever learn what it is, treating Amanda Bynes’s breakdown as a joke, a spectacle, or anything less than a serious symptom of her mental health issues is wrong.
What a great article. Having just studied schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, among others, for my course in social work, I couldn’t agree with you more. Very well written, empathetic and insightful.
Thank you so much for your article on mental illness. I to suffer from bipolar disorder and trust me it isn’t easy. It is crucial that you have a very strong support team and I’m very fortunate that I have family, friends, and my mental health team who understand me. We laugh, we cry and they’ve my rock without them I probably would of committed suicide a long time ago. Once again thank you for an enlightening and honest take on mental illness 😌
This is amazing. So thought out and so true. Admittedly, I’ve been guilty of jumping on the “ridiculing Amanda Bynes” bandwagon but this post is very enlightening. Thank you so much and I hope more people see this and look at mental illness with a little more insight and compassion.
Anyone who thinks an involuntary psychiatric hold is fun or amusing is horribly misguided.
I really enjoyed the article and think you are totally right on the issue but I’d be cautious about generalizing how people react to these kinds of situation. Personally, when I was held involuntarily. I couldn’t do anything but quietly chuckle to myself after everything finally sank in. That’s just how I deal with stressful situations, laugh at them and then accept them.
I think it would be more appropriate to clarify that you are condemning laughing at the psychiatric problems of others.
How lovely, some people have grown up in 2014, but just a few years ago Britney Spears was fairgame for mental illness shots for almost half a decade…
True. Craig Ferguson had her back; he was the only voice I heard making a stand. His monologue is on youtube & worth a watch.
Our world so needs you…..thank you!!!!
This is the realest, truest thing I’ve read in a long time. THANK YOU for opening so many people’s eyes to the realities of mental illness.
I completely agree. Let’s remember that just because you are a “celebrity” that doesn’t make their life, their struggles fodder for a headline or a picture. Compassion, kindness, tolerance, these our the signs of a truly civilized society that honors all of it’s citizens.
Reblogged this on i am darkness and light and commented:
This is so very important, and beautifully written.
Thank you Sam Dylan Finch for writing this article. I work at a psychiatric facility…the world is quick to judge those diagnosed with mental illness. But we all struggle at one point or another with our mental state. A co-worker and I were talking and she made a good point, “if you’ve been depressed..guess what..that’s a mental illness-depression. But for some it affects them and their everyday life. Some are able to work past their depression but others need help.” The world needs to see mental illness like it does cancer. Both eventually kill the person diagnosed.
Reblogged this on The Wolf and The Wardrobe and commented:
Such a great read. I really couldn’t have addressed my views on the topic any better.
Thank you for your article. We need healthy reminders that everyone has their demons, and making fun of them will not subdue them or make them go away. Your article is definitely one that’ll help remind plenty of people of that fact. Even I, someone on the spectrum who hasn’t really paid much attention to the Amanda Bynes saga, needed the reminder. I really appreciate it.
This is good and nicely done; thank you. I’m glad that a friend shared it on Facebook.
I take a sympathetic view of anyone engaging in destructive behavior, whatever the reason. From a spiritual perspective, we can’t know the soul’s reasons, or the pain that may be behind what they do. While certainly condemning the actions of mass murderers, or haters such as Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church, and relieved for the living once they are dead, I’m also sad for the pain and fear that led to their actions, and pleased that they are no longer suffering.
I have an editorial suggestion: Always take a sentence or two to tell your readers the background of your subject. I don’t follow celebrity news and, while I may have seen Amanda Bynes in a movie and am aware that she’s been in the news lately for some reason, I don’t know what’s happened. I could surmise it by the end of your blog, but I would have appreciated a brief summary at the beginning instead.
Such a wonderful piece of writing x
Sam!
Awesome post! I am a clinician on a community action team that serves people who struggle to find a degree of recovery from their major mental illnesses! You make excellent points in your article! Most people fail to realize that mental illnesses are illnesses! They are chronic and relapsing illnesses like diabetes, or heart disease, or Multiple Sclerosis! The difference is that instead of being a disease of the pancreas, it the heart, or the peripheral nervous system. Mental illnesses are diseases of the brain! I’m with you 100%! Nobody should be ridiculed or belittled or punished for being ill, no matter where in the body that illness may be!
Keep shouting into the wilderness! I will too!
Andy Garrabrant
How obtuse to tell people what to find funny. Some symptoms of mentally ill people are as close as you can get to being objectively amusing, period. Having sympathy for them simultaneously is possible – surprising you’ve failed to realise this.
Remember that if there ever comes a day where you breakdown from anything in your life and all you want is someone to truly understand what is happening to you, but people publicly make jokes about it. Remember that when you feel hurt or ashamed when your friends continously pantomine how you were during your breakdown, laughing even when you ask them not to. Remember that on the day you want people’s support to help you get through whatever it is that is bringing you down, but while they ‘sympathize’, everyone you thought you could count on just finds your life funny.
I would be mature enough to know that from perspectives other than my own, what is happening is humorous, and I would appreciate their support alongside whatever reactions the illness invokes. Clearly you wouldn’t be.
I know I don’t necessarily want people to have sympathy for me, But An Understanding and exeptance For What I may be going through. Laughing or finding it funny will just make it worse. It’s not amusing in the least and we have never decided to be this way. What you said Brett was disrespectful and hurtful.
Reblogged this on BorderLine Productions and commented:
I thought this was an excellent read and points to bring out. People can be so insensitive, press can make light and reinforce such lack of sensitivity yet few connect the dots at their role, their part in contributing to pushing someone over the edge. the turmoil/mental health issues a person struggles with. We all have our line in the sand we draw as to our own limits. Living with a slew of diagnosis and having created a one woman show called #BorderLineMe yes i can certainly relate and i can say that the way the press deal with it prior to a suicide/death is appalling for the most part and is a contributing factor to a human beings pain. I know they say those in public life, well it comes wight he territory but what does that mean, is it cart blanche for folks to be insensitive. An actor or public person is still human being with feelings
Reblogged this on chocolatehollywood and commented:
#PREACH
Excellent Excellent, someone needed to say it straight out. Having worked in psychiatry for 5+ years with a focus on Schizophrenia as well as child/Adol Psych- its clear you dont choose have an illness and certainly dont choose to experience the symptoms and characteristics that come along with these illnesses. Privacy is a right. She deserves hers and sending positive thoughts she gets the help she needs to further living her life with meaning and enjoyment.
Reblogged this on maney smiles back and commented:
Just wow. Everyone should read this.
Reblogged this on madgeni and commented:
This is a powerful article and very true.
Reblogged this on hastywords and commented:
“It’s not a spectacle. It’s a goddamn illness.” ~ Sam Dylan Finch
I don’t normally have a very long attention span and I usually dismiss reading all things celebrity…but…this was captivating, brilliant, and the hard raw truth about how mental illness and society. Thank you for writing it.
This is so well written. So happy that there are journalists with compassion and a moral compass out there
Excellent. It’s all about EDUCATING the ignorant, isn’t it? We have LOTSSS to learn.
We, as a culture, seem to get a rush from people, especially celebrities, falling flat on
their faces. Somehow, it makes us feel better about our pathetic lives.
I agree, it’s time to nurture, understand, empathize & LOVE…
not a time to judge & laugh at another’s misfortunes.
Karma can be a REAL Bitch. That’s all I’m sayin’.
x
A very well written piece. Thank you for sharing Mental illness is not given the seriousness it -deserves is the wrong word-but so desperately needs. Too often the stigma attached to mental illness is that the people suffering are clowns to laugh at and enforce our own belief we are ‘sane.’ Mental illness can happen to anyone and is devastating. It ruins lives completely and no one can ever imagine the internal struggle sufferers face. Society needs to be careful of throw away labels such as ‘psycho’ and ‘crazy’ and focus understand mental illness is no joke but a disease. To me those who laugh and point and provoke are the compassionless ‘psychotics’ who lack total empathy.
Thanks for the post.
Thank you for writing this. It’s about time someone said this.
Dealing with mental illness is hard enough. One does not need the world mocking them.
It certainly isn’t a spectator sport!
As a long term sufferer of depression who ends up isolated every time I’m sick. Thank you for your very good and incitive article. It brought me to tears as I suffer from social consequences of my illness. It seems when I am sick , folk don’t want to see or speak to me anymore. Now you know that you need to have support systems to keep you from becoming deeply depressed. So my so called family and friends who desert me are contributing to my illness. I have suffered from depression from fourteen years old till now . I am in my late fifties. I have decided that it is a part of me that doesn’t seem to change and if you don’t like it then you have no business being in my company. I am who I am. Xxx
Great article. Additionally, I think I see a certain degree of sexism in instances like these. Female celebrities are quickly poked and prodded whenever stories of their mental health issues are produced. And I believe there’s an historical basis for this: look at the word hysteria. Hysto- is the medical prefix that denotes the uterus (hysterectomy). Hysteria was for a time a female-only diagnosis in the early days of psychiatry (and is now no longer a diagnosis at all, I believe/hope.) and was treated at times by male professionals using a “vulvar massage technique.” Could you even imagine a doctor trying to get away with such a treatment nowadays? Even so, Women today are still more readily belittled and demeaned for their mental health issues than men. And it all harkens back to an idea central to sexism–that women are inherently weaker and more incapable than men. Old habits die hard, especially at the macro social level.
I am bipolar. Good article.
I wish it were possible to be able to really get society interested in an in-depth, educational conversation about what goes on with a person while they are having a manic/psychotic episode. Not the before and after and the treatment, but the ongoing illness while it is happening. When you’ve been through one and you’ve recovered, you come out with this sort of new kind of “psychotic logic” where you might be able to hold a conversation with another person who is having an episode of their own and know EXACTLY what they are talking about and what directions their thoughts are taking, even though every other thing coming out of their mouth is a product of delusion or mania. And you can also tack onto their moments of lucidity where you know there is still at least some modicum of the “real person” still in there, and maybe- just maybe, you can pull that person back out at least to a point where you can help them help themselves get the treatment they need (rather than force it into their ass with a needle while 6 orderlies hold them down in a psych ward with zero explanation of what is being put into their bodies or why).
Sorry if what I’m writing isn’t completely sensible to some, but I think a lot of people reading this who’ve been through mania/psychosis know what I am talking about. When I first saw Amanda’s tweets about her dad and then the “microchip” one, it was like I knew exactly where her head was when she felt compelled to tweet all of those things (at least to some degree). Then when I found out that her parents and Sam Lutfi (ew) tricked her into Las Ensinas, my first thought was: the people who she needed the most have completely lost her and her trust– not ‘manic Amanda’ but the real person still deep in there who could have possibly been negotiated with into treatment.. or at least have been dealt with in a way where she would not have needed to have been so drastically deceived to the point where she may not trust her own parents again.
I have had three episodes w/hospitalizations in the past 5 years. I am in my last year of law school and I think I am finally at a point where I understand what I need to stay well and not “relapse” in terms of medication/treatment/the day-to-day. On a regular basis, my soul is screaming for true advocates and representatives of mental illness to break into the mainstream and school society on what our conditions are about. No- not psychiatrist “experts” on CNN or “family members who have been through sooooo much living with a bipolar/schizophrenic relative”. Schizophrenic people. Bipolar people. People who have crossed over into “insanity” and have come back to talk about it- and also talk about the fact that they are now well and are productive members of society (and anyone else with a mental illness can strive for that, too!)
I wish the conversation embodied respect of the mentally ill and their agency. This article is a great start and the majority of the comments make me extremely hopeful. Thank you author and all.
Reblogged this on Attention To Balance and commented:
Great write up. Please read
Xo R
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/10/18/guards-laugh-ill-man-dies/
Related….why is it considered Ok to boo professional athletes? For many…at 18, 19 or even 25…are they not in part still kids or young man? Are they too not human beings?
Great post. I agree with you completely. Mental illness is far from being a laughing matter. Ridicule needs to be replaced with respect and dignity. And especially for those in the public eye, privacy.
Reblogged this on The Asylum and commented:
Bipolar/borderline personality disorder/OCD person with claustrophobia , insectophobia, and a fear of heights, here to go on a little rant.
Amanda Bynes is evidently a very disturbed young woman. The rude things she says about other people (i.e. her list of “ugly people”) are evidence of this. It wouldn’t be fun to be on the receiving end of one of her diatribes, but there is evidently something wrong, so we do need to have compassion.
The attitude of seeing mental illness as a freak show, something to be laughed and leered at, are also why I hate programs like Hoarders. Yes, let’s turn someone’s sickness into a spectacle.
Affordable mental health care is not yet a reality in the United States. Of course, proper physical care is also beyond the reach of many of our citizens. I do not receive counseling for the conditions I live with, I have simply learned to recognize the dynamics thereof and cope as best I can. I do not take prescription medications for these conditions by choice; they make me feel worse than the conditions themselves. I take several prescription medications for endocrine conditions and one for hypertension. These medications don’t mess with my mind the way psych meds do.
This is not to say that I do nothing medicinally for the psych issues. I take a low dose of Lithium Orotate, which is available without a prescription, and is more bioavailable than is Lithium Carbonate. The dose of Lithium prescribed by a doctor is just one step away from being toxic, which is why lithium levels have to be monitored if one is on a prescription dose of Lithium. If I can take far less of the substance and it works just as well, I’m not going to take more than I need. I also take 5-HTP, B vitamins, vitamin D, and essential fatty acids. I cannot take SSRI’s, as they make me both manic and psychotic.
My son is seeing a counselor to deal with his depression and anxiety issues, which have kept him from completing his bachelor’s degree and prevent him from working at this point. He pays a $85 copay, which is ever so affordable to a person who is unemployed. It’s appalling.
The medical system needs to do so much better for people with mental illness. We as a society can do something better right now. We can stop making mental illness a joke. The end.
Bravo. Compassion wins over sensationalism. Thank you!
Reblogged this on Sage's thoughts and ideas.
This is an awesome and heart wrenching article from one who” walks the walk” and not just “talks the talk”. Mental disorders, suicide and other aspects of emotional imbalance are every bit as important as Cancer or Heart Disease, and must be dealt with in the same context. We hear NOTHING of donations for Mental Disease or any breakthroughs happening in this area!
Let us all be more aware and sensitive to those struggling with these disorders! It is NOT their fault and they can not help it..it I a chemical imbalance, no different from a Thyroid imbalance!
Very well written! I hope this gives people food for thought!