“Joker” Amplifies Stigma & Fear Of Mental Illness, Say Doctors

Annabel Driscoll and Mina Husain, two junior psychiatric ward doctors, were asked by The Guardian to address the depiction of mental illness in Joker. The pair felt it misrepresented severe psychotic illnesses, perpetuating further stigma and fear that such illness ordinarily equates to violence.

Todd Phillips’ Joker has divided audiences and critics.

Rex Reed of The Observer called it “dark, terrifying, disgusting, brilliant and unforgettable”. Mark Kermode was similarly impressed but his The Guardian colleague Peter Bradshaw said it was “the most disappointing film of the year“.

Part of the criticism has centred around it being some kind of calling card for the shadowy incel movement (described as an online male cult comprising angry, young men). Tess Owen wrote in Vice: “People who’d seen the trailer worried that it portrayed a would-be mass shooter in a sympathetic light — and could inspire future attacks.”

Another criticism has been aimed at its depiction of mental illness. Annabel Driscoll and Mina Husain say that while great strides have been made in regards to discussion  and treatment of depression and anxiety, there is still a lot of misinformation about more severe cases of psychotic illnesses that Joker perpetuates.

In the article which appeared in The Guardian, the doctors say: “One of the more toxic ideas that Joker subscribes to is the hackneyed association between serious mental illness and extreme violence.

“The notion that mental deterioration necessarily leads to violence against others – implied by the juxtaposition of Phoenix’s character Arthur stopping his medication with his increasingly frequent acts of violence – is not only misinformed but further amplifies stigma and fear.”

The doctors feel that the film’s depiction of Arthur Fleck’s mental instability is only “half formed” with many “disorders … squashed into a plot device.” This undermines the film’s “sincere attempts to explore the interaction between poverty, inequality and social isolation”.

Driscoll and Husain highlight One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest negatively impacting mental health treatment as a result of its “inappropriate levels of suspicion and misinformation regarding electro-convulsive therapy” meaning Joker’s “misrepresentation of severe mental illness … should not be dismissed lightly.”

Joker is currently in UK cinemas.