Mental Health in Euphoria: Realistic or Romanticized? - Hollywood Insider (2023)

FAQs

How is mental illness portrayed in euphoria? ›

Euphoria's Ties to Mental Illness

Euphoria's main character, Rue (played by Zendaya) is alluded to as suffering from bipolar disorder, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Throughout the show, the audience hears Rue's thoughts, putting us closer to the character's lived experience.

Some fans have speculated that Cassie has undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a mental health disorder characterized by intense, unstable emotions and relationships as well as insecurity and self-doubt.

Portrayals of mental illness in film are often superficial, stigmatizing, and inaccurate. Many overemphasize stereotypical negative attributes such as violence, aggression, and bizarre behavior, as well as, rely on demeaning slang terms to refer to mentally ill individuals (Kimmerle and Cress; Smith et al.).

Hollywood has a long history of misrepresenting those with mental health conditions. These representations are usually portrayals of people with mental illness as violent and dangerous, which contribute to harmful stereotypes about mental illness.

The show Euphoria captures all of these life elements. From the introduction to drugs, relationship troubles, and self identity journey. This makes the show more realistic than others, depicting the true struggles of young adults.

Euphoria shows the viewers a raw representation of what it is like to be a teenager today for many people, and also the problems with drugs and sex that can possibly come with it. It has, however, received a lot of backlash due to the amount of explicit substance use shown in the series.

Cassie is portrayed as insecure and seeking male validation. Her peers constantly comment on how Cassie has never been single; this season is the first time she has gone without a boyfriend for a long period. This suggests that she is sex deprived, which could be a reason why she has many nude scenes.

We open with her birth, eventually entering her childhood, and subsequent diagnoses with numerous mental illnesses, including but not limited to severe anxiety and bipolar disorder. This contributes to her overdose and stay in rehab that opens the series.

Although he initially says he was battling depression, Nathan shares with Issa that he "didn't just disappear" but was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during that time he spent at home.

It merely means that glamorizing mental illness by making a mental health diagnosis desirable, fascinating, or attractive can lead to a host of potentially dangerous problems for the individual struggling with symptoms and for their loved ones.

How is mental illness portrayed in the media negatively? ›

Mental illnesses, also known as psychiatric disorders, are often inaccurately portrayed in the media. Films, television programs, books, magazines, and news programs often stereotype the mentally ill as being violent or unpredictable, unlike the great majority of the actual mentally ill.

Stigmatization of Mental Illness By the Media

Media accounts tend to focus on the individual with mental illness rather than framing mental illness as a societal issue. Consequently, media consumers are more likely to blame an individual for the illness.

"Many professional actors find themselves out of work for long periods of time. This creates a high level of instability in their lives, adding to feelings of anxiety," she says. "They usually have no control over whether or not they get a particular role.

A study conducted by researchers at University College London and Vue Cinema found that people who watched movies experienced improved mental focus and fixation towards the movie. This focused watching (according to the study) helps to improve cognition and memory.

From season one to two, Ferreira's screen time had been cut, an act stemming from her disagreement with Levinson's direction of her character, in which he allegedly wanted to give Kat an eating disorder.

says HBO's 'Euphoria' glamorizes drug use, sex and violence. The show "chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use addiction ... and other destructive behaviors as common in today's world,” D.A.R.E. wrote.

First, let's start by clearing up the fact that the target audience is high school students, because despite Zendaya tweeting the series is designed for mature audiences, it's a series about high schoolers which will ultimately be watched by high schoolers.

The intended message in “Euphoria” aims to humanize substance use disorders, but the show glorifies drug use. Since the release of the second season in Jan. 2022, over 13.1 million people have streamed the popular show “Euphoria” on HBO Max alone.

It highlights many of the struggles teenagers and young adults face today, touching on issues such as sexuality, gender identity, emotional and physical abuse, drug addiction and social media pressures.

What lesson does Euphoria teach? ›

The most important takeaway any parent of a teen can get from 'Euphoria' is that addiction is a real, complex, deeply ingrained behavioral health disorder. It is not simply choosing to get drunk or high all the time and it definitely isn't something that will just go away.

While all the actors who have sex scenes are at least 23 years old, the fact remains that Euphoria has a serious issue with oversexualizing teenagers, even if said teenagers are played by adults. The trend of sexualizing teens in media isn't anything new.

Some have speculated online that Cassie is a character foil for Rue, both of them addicts, with the show telling the story of their desperate needs. For Rue, the object of her addiction is opiates, for Cassie, it's love.

Cassie Howard is an ESFJ personality type. She is popular and enjoys spending time with friends and family. Kind and warm, she is confident in social situations and she instinctively knows what should or shouldn't be said. In addition, she is good at picking up on people's emotional states.

Jules realizes how she has internalized hypersexuality and hyperfemininity, performing them to the point where much of her self-worth was derived from male validation for so much of her young life.

Since Jules was about seven or eight, she dealt with bouts of depression, anxiety, and self-harm largely stemming from gender dysphoria, which eventually led to her mother taking her to a psychiatric hospital against her will at age 11.

Rue suffers from ADHD, bipolar, general anxiety, depression, and BPD – and rather than romanticising her trauma, creator Sam Levinson shows Rue's days stretching out ahead of her: a monotonous Sisyphean struggle with her own psyche.

Sweeney's Cassie is never displaying the same level of emotion as those around her unless it's rage — uncontrollable outbursts of anger being another criteria of BPD. In every scene, she's either displaying a significantly higher level of emotion than others or she is fully shut down, dissociating.

Maddy contributes to the toxicity of the relationship as well by emotionally manipulating Nate throughout the first season. She confidently wields emotional blackmail by threatening to publicly release private tapes.

Why is mental health romanticised? ›

The Prevalence of Mental Health Romanticisation

Not only does it devalue the struggle of mental illnesses and prevent those who may be suffering from seeking help, but it also encourages teenagers to mimic dangerous symptoms in order to be perceived as attractive or socially prestigious.

They describe mental illness as 'tragically beautiful'. It implies that pain is pretty and completely disregards the struggles of people who actually suffer from any such illness.

As a society we need to stop romanticizing mental illness because this will feed into the stigma. It's covering up the fact that there is a problem and by doing so we are encouraging it. By allowing this we validate self-destructive behaviors. We teach people that tragedy is beautiful.

Mental Health Today: A More Positive Portrayal in the Media

These TV shows and films do this by using humor, real-life situations like conflicts, and traumatic situations to shine the light on the commonality of mental health issues and disorders.

However, multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Social media may promote negative experiences such as: Inadequacy about your life or appearance.

Research studies note the connection between use of social media and its undesirable outcomes that increase incidence of anxiety, stress, depression, body image concerns, and loneliness in teens and young adults (APA, 2022).

A lot of TV shows and films often depict people with mental health problems as 'psychopaths' or violent, or can be quite sensationalist in their approach, which means patients often associate some mental health disorders, such as psychosis, with being violent, hence not accessing treatment.

Unregulated social media leads to a constant fear of missing out, which many refer to as FOMO. People may feel as though others are having more fun than them, which can affect self-esteem and cause mental health issues.

Culture significantly impacts various aspects of mental health including the perception of health and illness, treatment-seeking behaviour and coping styles. As such, simplified mainstreaming of mental health approaches may not cater to the needs of a culturally diverse population from different communities.

It's a raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety, and the difficulties of navigating life today. There are scenes that are graphic, hard to watch, and can be triggering" (according to Today) – she certainly wasn't exaggerating. Euphoria makes most teen dramas that came before it seem meek and mild in comparison.

How is euphoria traumatizing? ›

“Euphoria” mirrors this action by dumping upsetting situations on its audience with the intent to draw them in. This show is reliant on the fact that you form this trauma bond, otherwise, you might start to notice the lack of substantive plot in favor of repeated scenes of violence and nudity.

Pleasure or euphoria—the high from drugs—is still poorly understood, but probably involves surges of chemical signaling compounds including the body's natural opioids (endorphins) and other neurotransmitters in parts of the basal ganglia (the reward circuit).

Someone with BPD may go to great lengths to feel something, as well as becoming increasingly withdrawn and avoidant during an episode. Paranoid thoughts of everyone being out to get them and hating them are also common during these times. Episodes can also be extreme highs, bursts of euphoria and positive emotions.

The intended message in “Euphoria” aims to humanize substance use disorders, but the show glorifies drug use. Since the release of the second season in Jan. 2022, over 13.1 million people have streamed the popular show “Euphoria” on HBO Max alone.

"Euphoria" has a reputation for its shocking, graphic elements. From drugs and violence to full-frontal nudity and sex scenes, the HBO series is so chock-full of raw, unsettling scenes that viewers lament it can, at times, be hard to watch. Yet they keep coming back every week.

Rue destroys most of her relationships because she has to hide her addictions and lashes out while under the influence. By adding these details, the writers really convey the feeling of addiction completely tearing the veil that a euphoric high creates to reveal a much more destructive and traumatic underside to drugs.

Most episodes include some mix of bad sex, graphic violence, gratuitous nudity, copious consumption of drugs and alcohol and unsparing depictions of addiction. For the viewer, feeling stressed, anxious or restless while watching comes with the territory.

The show has attracted some attention over the controversial topics it presents, including drug abuse and sexual and physical abuse. While some accuse “Euphoria” of glamorizing these types of circumstances, others praise it for bringing such topics to public attention and discourse.

Dopamine is the chemical in the brain that is associated with the pleasure and reward centers of the brain. High amounts of dopamine lead to feelings of pleasure or euphoria.

Dopamine: Often called the "happy hormone," dopamine results in feelings of well-being. A primary driver of the brain's reward system, it spikes when we experience something pleasurable. Praised on the job?

Who has a brain disorder in Euphoria? ›

In the scene, Kat tells her doting boyfriend Ethan (Austin Abrams) that she has a terminal brain disorder. When he questions this out-of-left-field claim, she calls him an incel and argues that his disbelief is oppressive “gaslighting”.

Levinson's own struggles inform his depiction of Rue, who also has bipolar disorder, as is addressed in the penultimate episode of the season.

Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, is a mood disorder that is characterized by periods of extreme swings of euphoria (positivity and happiness) to depression (sadness and negativity).

Sweeney's Cassie is never displaying the same level of emotion as those around her unless it's rage — uncontrollable outbursts of anger being another criteria of BPD. In every scene, she's either displaying a significantly higher level of emotion than others or she is fully shut down, dissociating.