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- #fictionvsrealite
Le cinéma nous bombarde d'images sur la santé mentale, mais la réalité est-elle si différente de ce que l'on voit à l'écran ? Plongez dans une analyse percutante qui déconstruit les stéréotypes véhiculés par nos films et séries préférés.
Découvrez comment des œuvres populaires peuvent involontairement brouiller les pistes sur des sujets complexes comme la dépression, l'anxiété ou les troubles psychiques. Nous explorons les mécanismes de représentation et leurs impacts sur notre perception.
Cet examen révèle les nuances subtiles entre la fiction hollywoodienne et les expériences vécues. Comprenez pourquoi une vision nuancée est essentielle pour une meilleure sensibilisation et un soutien accru.
#SantéMentale #CinémaEtRéalité #FictionVsRéalité
Découvrez comment des œuvres populaires peuvent involontairement brouiller les pistes sur des sujets complexes comme la dépression, l'anxiété ou les troubles psychiques. Nous explorons les mécanismes de représentation et leurs impacts sur notre perception.
Cet examen révèle les nuances subtiles entre la fiction hollywoodienne et les expériences vécues. Comprenez pourquoi une vision nuancée est essentielle pour une meilleure sensibilisation et un soutien accru.
#SantéMentale #CinémaEtRéalité #FictionVsRéalité
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Court métrageTranscription
00:00We talk more and more about mental health, which is great, but have you ever wondered how cinema, TV series, or even cartoons address it?
00:07Do they address the topic of mental health and the influence it can have on our view of mental illnesses or mental disorders?
00:14Does their vision truly reflect reality, or are they simply leading us on with deeply entrenched stereotypes?
00:20Today I'm proposing a journey, not a therapeutic one, although...
00:24but a journey through more than a hundred years of images, history, and people who have attempted, each in their own way,
00:31to represent what is called madness, mental disorders or more broadly mental suffering.
00:36And you'll see, it's fascinating, disturbing, and often very revealing.
00:40Why is this topic essential? Because on screen, whether we're talking about cinema, whether we're talking about tone
00:45A mobile phone, whether we're talking about TV series or anything else, is a mirror. What we see shapes our
00:50imagination, our fears, our understanding of others and also our understanding of ourselves.
00:55And mental health has long been caricatured, misunderstood, sometimes even ridiculed. As a result,
01:01a stigma that persists and still persists today. Even when we talk about anxiety,
01:06Burnout, depression, as if we were talking about Greek. But the good thing is, things are changing.
01:12Slowly but surely. And that's what we're going to analyze today. But first,
01:16I would like to ask you three questions. Why have people been so often depicted
01:21Are people with mental disorders seen as dangerous or unpredictable? Do films and
01:25Are today's TV series more accurate in their portrayal? And above all, can we really
01:30Healing through imagery? You'll see, the answers are sometimes surprising. And I promise you that in
01:34Along the way, we will encounter legendary works such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari or One Flew Over the Sky.
01:40from another cuckoo. Vice versa, certain reasons why. Anyway, we're going to have fun. Besides, if you think that
01:46This type of topic needs to be seen much more, don't hesitate to like, share, and comment.
01:51Please tell me what you think and especially subscribe to the channel because it helps us.
01:56or content creator, to be able to create even higher quality content at some point.
02:01So, to fully understand how we arrived at Netflix series that speak openly about
02:12For anxiety or borderline personality disorder, you have to go back to the very beginning. Like, really to the beginning.
02:18Late 19th, early 20th century. At that time, cinema was a fairground attraction. And health
02:23Mental health is a mystery often associated with madness and fear. Just imagine the context.
02:29Psychiatry is in its infancy. Freud publishes his first texts. The Insane,
02:33as they were called, were often locked up, isolated, and treated with suspicion. And inevitably,
02:38Cinema, this new virtual tool, will seize upon this collective fear.
02:42One of the very first striking examples is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which came out in 1920.
02:46It is a German expressionist film that is considered one of the first masterpieces
02:51of cinema. And above all, it's a film deeply connected to madness. The story,
02:55A hypnotist who uses a sleepwalker to commit murders. But this
02:59What's interesting is that the entire narrative is framed by a final twist where we discover that the
03:04The narrator is himself institutionalized. The film plays with our perception and offers a completely
03:09subjective perception of reality. And that was new for the time. It also revealed an anxiety,
03:14that of no longer knowing what is real or not. Even if Caligari is clever in its staging
03:18On stage, it remains steeped in clichés. The character is mad and disturbing, unstable and above all dangerous.
03:24This is where cinema begins to construct a stereotype that will last and last for a long time.
03:29At that time, the madman was not a central character, he was a danger, a threat, sometimes a
03:33a simple plot device. And very quickly, silent cinema will use it and will use the
03:39Psychiatric institutions as settings for chills. Asylums become places of
03:43A tense atmosphere filled with fear and chaos. It brings to mind works like The Haunted House.
03:48or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where mental disorders are synonymous with monstrosity, with loss of control.
03:54And it's not just in fiction. At the same time, in reality, people are starting to worry.
03:59about the effect of cinema on mental health. Yes, yes, some doctors believe that films,
04:04especially the most immersive ones, can alter the mind, cause seizures, or even trigger
04:08pathologies among the most vulnerable. There's even talk of cinematic madness.
04:13But there's another, less well-known side. Cinema is also used in hospitals.
04:17Psychiatric films are used as a therapeutic tool. This is referred to as mental hygiene. That is to say, films are shown to...
04:23patients to calm them, distract them, or help them express themselves. Archives show that
04:27Some French and German institutions were showing films to patients as early as the 1970s.
04:311920-1930, sometimes linked to their disorders. So on the one hand, there was fear of the power of cinema and
04:37On the other hand, they are trying to make him an ally. It's contradictory, but not really.
04:41This shows how fascinating mental health is, but that it still remains largely misunderstood.
04:47And inevitably, as is often the case, this misunderstanding will fuel the worst stereotypes. For decades,
04:51Cinema will portray people with mental disorders as caricatures. The madman
04:57screaming, the ultra-violent schizophrenic, the patient laughing to himself in a corner. The asylum becomes the
05:02A theater of shocking scenes, straitjackets, electric shocks, screams. In short, anything but a nuanced vision. And the
05:08The problem is that these images will leave a lasting impression and influence society. Because if
05:14You grew up watching movies where mentally ill people are systematically violent or unpredictable,
05:19Well, you're going to be afraid of them. You're going to think they're dangerous. And you might avoid them.
05:23consult yourself for fear of being seen as crazy. And what's striking is that for very
05:28For a long time, the people affected were not given a voice. Mental disorders are
05:33told through the eyes of others. Doctors, relatives, or outside observers. We are not in
05:39Identification is about creating distance. It's about the other, the stranger, the sick person. Fortunately,
05:45Some filmmakers will start to break this pattern. But we'll see that a little later.
05:49Little by little, and especially after the Second World War, we began to see the emergence of other
06:00Something. Stories that are a little more nuanced, characters that are much better
06:04written and more nuanced. But well, the stereotypes are there and it's very, very hard to get rid of them.
06:11We'll start in the 1950s to 1970s. A time when psychiatry, too,
06:16is undergoing a profound transformation. There are the beginnings of antipsychiatry, critiques of asylums,
06:20The game-changing chemical treatments. And cinema captures these tensions. An emblematic film.
06:25From this period, it is obviously One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Released in 1975 with Jack Nicholson.
06:32This film is a real eye-opener. It tells the story of an incarcerated man who tries to escape from prison.
06:37by stimulating madness in order to be committed. And what he discovers at the psychiatric hospital,
06:41It's an even more oppressive world. The film is an open critique of institutions.
06:47Psychiatric, inhumane treatment, and an obsession with control. And what is strong
06:51In this film, it's that he completely reverses the perspective. The patients are not necessarily
06:56Dangerous. It's the caregivers and especially the institution that are violent. Flying over a
07:01The Cuckoo's Nest marks a turning point. It is one of the first films where madness is shown from within.
07:06and where one can feel oppression, confinement, and injustice. But one must not believe
07:11that everything became soft and intelligent in the 70s. Hitchcock, for example,
07:15With psychosis, it features a schizophrenic character who kills without realizing it.
07:20Brian De Palma uses this type of figure in several of his films. Madness becomes a
07:25narrative device. It's practical; the character is unpredictable, so it creates suspense.
07:30But it always comes at the price of a cliché. Madness equals danger.
07:35This dual movement, on the one hand institutional criticism, on the other spectacular fear,
07:40will continue for several decades. In the 80s and 90s, we begin to see the emergence
07:46slightly more complex characters. For example, in some psychological trailers,
07:50The protagonist is himself unstable. It brings to mind Fight Club or American Psycho. But often,
07:55We remain in the realm of extreme violence. Pathology is seen as an exception, as something strange. And that's where the experts come in.
08:01are beginning to intervene. Studies are emerging to understand how these representations
08:06influence the public. Does seeing a violent schizophrenic character reinforce prejudice?
08:12Spoiler alert, yes. Can fiction better help us understand psychological suffering?
08:17Yes, that too. But it depends on how it's presented and how it's done. What's interesting is...
08:23It's because, starting in the 1990s, some directors began to surround themselves with psychiatrists
08:28and psychologists to create characters that are much more realistic.
08:32Not all of them, of course. But some want to tell true stories.
08:35Or at least that these are stories that are much more believable. And that changes a lot of things.
08:40There is also the arrival of new genres, the biopic, the docu-fiction, stories based on testimonies.
08:46Here, we begin to explore forms that are closest to reality. But again, it's slow, very slow, too slow.
08:53And often, the most complex disorders such as bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and anxiety disorders
08:58are reduced to extreme behaviors. The character is not ill, he is unstable.
09:04It's a subtle difference, but it changes everything in how we perceive it.
09:08I'm having a drink because this, from this point on, is for me. Just this small part. Not only for me, of course.
09:14Another important point is the lack of diversity.
09:18The characters depicted are always white Western men with mental disorders.
09:25As if psychological suffering only affected a part of the population.
09:30But we are also starting to see films made by patients emerge.
09:34Yes, films made by people directly affected, or at least with their collaboration.
09:39And that's a real revolution because we're moving from an external perspective to an internal one.
09:43We are no longer in the realm of projection, but in the realm of lived experience.
09:46It was also during this period that the first immersive documentaries appeared.
09:49Films that show life in institutions or that give a voice to people who have been diagnosed.
09:54We are beginning to explore the question of identification.
09:57How can a viewer feel close to a character with a mental disorder without reducing them to their diagnosis?
10:03And that's where fiction has enormous power because emotion allows us to overcome barriers.
10:09If you cry for a character who is depressed, you can no longer say it's all in their head.
10:13If you understand the terror of living with obsessive-compulsive disorder, you can no longer laugh about it.
10:18But be warned, this evolution does not mean that everything has become perfect.
10:21Many films continue to exploit mental suffering as a plot device.
10:26This is what is called a psychiatric twist.
10:29The moment when we discover that the character is crazy and that everything we saw was just an illusion.
10:34It's easy, it's spectacular, but it's often very far and very far from reality.
10:40And you know what, it's even more dangerous today because we have the impression that the representations are accurate when they are just more subtle.
10:53Today, we are inundated with TV series.
10:55On Netflix, on Prime Video, on Disney+, on HBO, you can spend your life binge-watching episodes.
11:00And as you've probably noticed, mental health has become a central theme.
11:05We talk about it much more than before, but the real question is, is it done well?
11:09Do these representations really help us to understand, or are we just facing a new wave of clichés?
11:16First, the figures.
11:17A study conducted by MTV Entertainment Studios in 2024 revealed that there was a 58% increase in explicit depictions of mental illness in TV series between 2010 and 2023.
11:28And most importantly, these performances have a positive impact on the audience.
11:33More than 40% of young people surveyed said that a series made them want to consult a professional, and that's huge.
11:40And that's new.
11:41For a long time, characters described as being crazy were frightening.
11:45Now, they are sometimes the heroes or at least the main protagonists, central figures with narrative arcs that are really well written, well studied, profound, realistic and touching.
11:57Let's take some current works.
11:59First, 13 Reasons Why.
12:01When the series came out, it caused a shock.
12:04It follows the story of Anna Baker, a teenager who hates herself, leaving behind 13 tapes to explain her actions.
12:11The series deals with harassment, V, and depression.
12:14She was praised for her frankness but also heavily criticized for her sometimes overly direct portrayal of S.
12:20And that's where we reach the limit.
12:22How can we talk about suffering without making it appealing? How can we show reality without glorifying it?
12:27The series sparked a real awakening in the industry.
12:30These subjects can no longer be addressed without caution.
12:33We need warnings, support, and above all, responsible writing.
12:37Another striking example is Euphoria.
12:39Here, we are dealing with visual excess but also with raw emotion.
12:43The main character, played by Zendaya, is a drug-addicted teenager.
12:47Suffering from anxiety disorders, depression and a complicated family life.
12:52And what's striking is the way the series makes you feel its inner states.
12:56Through the staging, the music, the dialogues, it's brutal but never gratuitous.
13:01And above all, the main character is not reduced to his illness.
13:04She is brilliant, she is funny, she is broken, and she is whole.
13:08And then there are series that address mental health with more gentleness and education.
13:12Like Sex Education, here we're talking about anxiety, trauma, and grief.
13:17But always with a certain degree of kindness.
13:19Mental health is not the central topic, but it is present everywhere.
13:23And that's the real progress.
13:24Mental health is becoming a part of life, not a dramatic exception.
13:28In a different vein, we can also mention Skins, The Sopranos, Mister Robot, Monk or Peaky Blinders.
13:35All of these shows feature characters struggling with mental disorders.
13:39Talk, PTSD, sociopathy, schizophrenia.
13:42And what makes them interesting is that these disorders are not always explained.
13:46They are there, like a part of the character's identity.
13:49And for us, the viewers, it becomes a new normal.
13:53But it's not just fiction.
13:54There are YouTube channels, like this one called Psy Lab, that use these series to talk about mental health to a wide audience.
14:02But also to professionals.
14:04They dissect the representations and analyze what is realistic and what is not.
14:08And they offer a genuine dialogue between fiction and science.
14:11And this movement goes even further.
14:13Some universities and hospitals now use excerpts from TV series in the training of psychiatrists.
14:18Yes, you heard right, watching Euphoria or Homeland can be part of the medical curriculum.
14:23Because of the emotions, identification, and ethical dilemmas portrayed in these fictional works,
14:28are often more powerful than any theoretical course.
14:31There are also increasing testimonies from experts that confirm this impact.
14:35Marie Chaudan, who is a psychologist, says
14:37It is easier to delve into one's own unease through fictional characters.
14:41And it's true, seeing someone who is experiencing what you are experiencing on screen breaks the loneliness.
14:46It allows you to open up the dialogue, to put words to your emotions.
14:49And you know, what's even more amazing is that some series are co-written with people directly affected.
14:54Associations are involved in the writing process, and mental health consultants are reviewing the scripts.
14:59Real testimonies are integrated into the narrative.
15:01And it's no longer fiction about mental illness, it's fiction with mental illness.
15:06But obviously, everything is not perfect.
15:08There are always series that exaggerate, that mix everything up,
15:11who confuse schizophrenia and dissociative disorders,
15:13or who use disorders as gimmicks.
15:16That's why a critical eye is essential.
15:19As a spectator, we have a role: that of not swallowing everything whole.
15:22but also that of supporting works that do things right.
15:25And frankly, we're on the right track, just the fact that today,
15:27so we can discuss mental health together on screen,
15:30Well, that's a huge sign of improvement.
15:32Okay, so far we've talked a lot about movies and series for teens and adults,
15:43But what about the representation of mental health for children through cartoons?
15:49Do cartoons also contribute to improving representations?
15:53Well yes, and sometimes it's even better made than so-called serious series.
15:58For a very long time, cartoons were seen as something lighthearted,
16:01to make people laugh, keep the kids busy, or tell absurd jokes.
16:05And frankly, it's true that in the 1930s, in the 1960s,
16:08Mental health was not a topic at all in the animation.
16:11Or rather, she was, but in a caricatured way.
16:14The character who goes mad, who goes around in circles, who ends up in a straitjacket,
16:17with little birds circling around his head, it's a classic cliché.
16:21But what is striking is in the 70s and 80s.
16:25Some characters are beginning to evolve.
16:27Sesame Street, for example.
16:29A cult educational program that, from the beginning, was not afraid to tackle difficult topics.
16:34Death, divorce, complex emotions, disabilities.
16:37And yes, mental health is also addressed with puppets.
16:40And yet, it was incredibly clever and educational.
16:43Not in judgment, not in fear, just this is what we feel and that's OK.
16:48And today, things have changed a lot.
16:50There are cartoons that deal with anxiety, grief, difference, and hypersensitivity.
16:55And they do it with a finesse that is sometimes astonishing.
16:58Let's take a very well-known example, one of my favorite cartoons, Inside Out.
17:03It's a Pixar film, so it's intended for children.
17:06But it has affected millions of adults.
17:08It follows the emotions of a little girl named Riley.
17:11And these emotions – joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, anxiety – are personified in his brain.
17:17And the film is literally a lesson in emotional psychology.
17:21He explains to you what sadness is, why it is useful, and how memories are formed.
17:25And above all, it values the act of feeling.
17:28It's simple, it's beautiful, it's incredibly well-made, and it's a tremendous educational tool for both children and adults.
17:35Another example, in a completely different tone, is Bojack Horseman.
17:38This is adult animation.
17:41Bojack is a completely lost ex-TV star.
17:44Plagued by addiction, depression, regrets, toxic patterns.
17:48And the series doesn't try to fix Bojack.
17:50She's not trying to make it perfect.
17:52It shows his fall, his mistakes, his relapses and his hardships.
17:55But it's also incredibly sincere and often very accurate.
17:58What's crazy is that animation allows you to say things that you can't say any other way.
18:02Because mental states can be illustrated in a visual, symbolic, and creative way.
18:07You can represent anxiety as a black storm or an orange storm.
18:11You can make boredom tangible.
18:13You can transform depression into a visual maze, and that's powerful.
18:17And it's not just at Pixar or Netflix.
18:19More and more animated films, including French productions,
18:22include neurodivergent characters.
18:24Anxious children, families in psychological distress.
18:27We are talking here about normalizing realities experienced from a very young age.
18:31And frankly, it's fundamental.
18:33Why? Because children also experience intense emotions.
18:36They may experience stress, loneliness, and rejection without always knowing how to express it.
18:41And cartoons can offer them a language.
18:44One way to understand what they are going through.
18:46To not feel alone.
18:48And it doesn't stop there.
18:49Some programs are explicitly designed to help.
18:52Short formats distributed in schools.
18:54Educational series on YouTube.
18:56Lively prevention campaigns.
18:58There is a real awakening of awareness.
19:00And more and more psychologists are collaborating with studios.
19:03to write stories that make sense.
19:11Well, we've seen a lot of positive progress so far.
19:14But it would be really naive to say that everything is fine.
19:17Because portraying mental health on screen is powerful and it's also dangerous.
19:21Yes, there are limits that should not be crossed.
19:23Pitfalls to avoid.
19:25And responsibilities to be taken.
19:26The first risk is that of glorification.
19:29Some works, sometimes unintentionally, give a romantic image of psychological suffering.
19:34As if being depressed, anxious, or suicidal was almost cool.
19:38A stylish character trait, we saw it very clearly with Certain Reasons Why.
19:42The series meant well, but it was rightly accused of making the S too spectacular, too narrative.
19:49As a result, in some countries, spikes in psychiatric consultations were observed after its release.
19:54But also, unfortunately, an increase in the number of violent acts committed.
19:57And indeed, if there is a perfect example of this tension between fascination and excess, it is the Joker.
20:02Whether it's in The Dark Knight or Joker with Joaquin Phoenix or Joker for Two with Lady Gaga.
20:08The character is presented as a broken being, isolated by the system, psychotic, but also charismatic.
20:14In his own way, he becomes an icon.
20:16And that's extremely problematic.
20:17Because psychological suffering is mixed with violence, revenge, and a perverted form of justice.
20:23And all this with a Lecce aesthetic, magnificent shots, poignant music.
20:26In short, we glamorize inner chaos.
20:28And so, for some, Joker almost becomes a role model, an anti-hero to admire.
20:33That's dangerous.
20:34The same goes for Harley Quinn.
20:36She starts out like C4, then descends into love-induced madness, becomes violent, unstable, liberated.
20:41But often, without seriously exploring the reality of her suffering or her psychological manipulation by the Joker.
20:47Films like Birds Are Prey or Suicide Squad make him a fun, explosive, stylish character.
20:53But without always questioning the substance.
20:54Are we showing a woman taking back power, or are we selling a cool image of female madness?
21:00Again, this does not mean that these characters should be censored.
21:03On the contrary, they are fascinating, but one must realize what they represent.
21:08Because in a world where young people seek to identify with strong figures,
21:12The way mental illness is portrayed has a colossal impact.
21:16So yes, fiction can trigger a dialogue, but it can also provoke dangerous identification effects.
21:21Especially among younger people or those who are already vulnerable.
21:25Seeing a heroine die to make herself heard can send an extremely toxic message.
21:29This is the only way for me to be heard.
21:32And this danger goes far beyond suicide.
21:35When a pathology is misrepresented, for example by confusing schizophrenia and multiple personalities,
21:40Or, by portraying obsessive-compulsive disorder as a simple joke, we are spreading misinformation.
21:43And false information, well packaged in a hit series, is a thousand times more powerful than a scientific article.
21:50Hence the importance of a very critical perspective.
21:53The second risk is trivialization.
21:54Seeing mental health everywhere, you might think it's trendy.
21:58And that everyone has a disorder.
22:00That it's a label that's stuck on every little emotion.
22:03And again, that's extremely dangerous.
22:05Because it can make us forget that mental disorders are real, complex, and often difficult to bear.
22:10And that they require genuine professional support.
22:13There is also a risk of marketing exploitation.
22:17Some studios use mental disorders as mere plot devices, without adding any depth to them.
22:23Like, hey, let's say this character is bipolar, it sounds mysterious.
22:27And that's it, no explanations, no nuances, no respect, it's just a gimmicky troublemaker.
22:32And this kind of exploitation, in addition to being completely unethical, prevents progress in understanding.
22:38Because if we always see the same caricatures, well, we don't learn anything and even worse, we reinforce stereotypes.
22:44That's why more and more voices are being raised to demand regulation.
22:48Charters, recommendations, mental health consultants integrated into production teams.
22:53Some projects like Euphoria or Sex Education have already crossed this threshold.
22:56They work with psychologists, associations, specialists, but it is not yet the norm.
23:01And yet, it would be essential.
23:02Because addressing mental health on screen is a political act, it has an impact.
23:07You can help someone feel less alone, or you can make them feel even more alone.
23:12What is often lacking is support around fiction.
23:15An event can be devastating, but it requires resources to support it.
23:18Help numbers, links to associations, expert interviews to delve deeper into everything that can transform an emotion into concrete action.
23:26Some platforms are starting to get on board.
23:27Netflix, for example, has added warnings before some sensitive episodes.
23:32But it is still too rare and often very discreet.
23:35There is also the issue of educating the public.
23:37Knowing how to differentiate between a fictional character and a clinical reality.
23:41To understand that cinema is a language with its exaggerations and symbols.
23:45And above all, learn to talk about it, to debate it, to confront one's emotions with facts.
23:50And in all of this, the creators bear a huge share of responsibility.
23:54They are not therapists of course, but they have power.
23:57A screenwriter, a director, an actress can change the perception of a disorder with a single role.
24:02And that imposes a certain ethic of storytelling.
24:05Should certain stories be banned? No.
24:07But they must be treated with respect, with nuance, and above all, with listening.
24:11Because today, there are more and more people who want to share their experiences,
24:15who ask to be included and who ask to be included in stories.
24:19Not to be pitied, not to create a buzz, just to be truly heard.
24:23So yes, representing mental health on screen is a challenge.
24:26But it's also an incredible opportunity.
24:28We can break taboos, we can give courage, and we can also educate.
24:32And sometimes, it even allows for consultation.
24:34Thank you for sharing this little moment about mental health and cinema with me.
24:39Thank you for watching this video to the end.
24:41Feel free to connect with me on social media.
24:44If you're on Spotify, feel free to give 5 stars if you liked it, to comment, and to share.
24:49And then, we'll meet again very soon for the next episode.
24:52Ciao!
24:53Ciao!
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