A Foray into Mental Health Understanding

In all of my previous posts, I went into my research and media- immersion with some previous knowledge about the topic. This week, with the topic of mental illness, I realized that besides some family history of bi-polar disorder (which I was never told much about, I only heard that the relative in question had problems) I know very little on the subject. This made watching the media all the more interesting.
One of the most prevalent themes I took from the media's depiction of mental illness is that sufferers are incredibly violent. Silver Linings Playbook, while an award-winning movie showing two protagonists with bi-polar disorder - among others - in a more positive and enlightening manner, still showed "ex-mental health patient" Pal Solitano with crazy bouts of violence when things go poorly for him. In fact, he actually hits his own father when his parents are trying to calm him down. While these outbursts do occur in people with the disorder, they also occur in those without. In fact, Margarita Tartakovsky writes in Media's Damaging Depictions of Mental Illness that
“research suggests that mentally ill people are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence.” Yet, violence is very often immediately associated with bi-polar disorder.

The media also often pushes mental illness in teens and young adults under the rug saying that such patients are simply "going through a phase." In Swing, an episode of Law and Order: SVU, the daughter of one of the detectives suffers from bi-polar disorder, but she treats it and covers it up with drugs and pills. Before finding out about the mental illness, everyone involved in the girl's life - her detective father included - reprimand her for taking the partying path of other people her age.
On the other hand, these shows also try to shed some light on mental health disorders. In Swing, the aforementioned detective seeks his "crazy" mother's help in clearing his daughter's name in court by showing family history of mental disease. While the detective remembers his childhood filled with neglect from his mother and terrible parenting, she tries to explain herself that she is simply unique and a free spirit who was chasing snowflakes when she ran her car with her son into a poll. She says that rather than take the medicine prescribed her that made her feel like an empty shell, she decided to live her life to the fullest, whatever the outcome.
The episode ends with the daughter confessing to crimes she committed while under the influence of drugs and going willingly into a mental institute for help.  Her grandmother also told her that while she did not want to take drugs, this also left her in a poor state later in life. So it seems like the message is still that mental patients need help and mind-altering drugs may be the miraculous and oft-prescribed answer.