Portrayals of child and adolescent psychiatry in mass fiction: focusing on Stieg Larsson's complete works

Authors

  • Nicholas Pang Universiti Putra Malaysia Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Keywords:

Child and adolescent services, Forensic psychiatry, Larsson, Mass media, Medical humanities, Perception, Prejudice, Psychiatry.

Abstract

Mass market fiction influences public perception of psychiatric services. Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" crime fiction series is an absorbing one; however, the portrayal of child and forensic psychiatry in the trilogy is sensationalised and demonised, and compares poorly to the less paternalistic, more holistic, and more pedagogical-driven methods employed by contemporary child and adolescent services. This negative portrayal can lead to enacted public stigma, self stigma, and stigma from within the healthcare professions. This can adversely affect feelings, thoughts, behaviours and resource allocation towards psychiatry, and may also impair the self-esteem and adherence levels of people with psychiatric illness. There is a need for mass media to act as social watchdog, be an educational resource for long case histories, or serve to document contemporary perceptions of psychiatry. Anti-stigma movements, to counter the effect of negative media portrayal, should come from within psychiatry itself.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Nicholas Pang, Universiti Putra Malaysia Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Trainee Lecturer 

Psychiatry Department 

Universiti Malaysia Sabah

References

Larsson S. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. London: MacLehose Press; 2008.

Larsson S. The Girl who Played with Fire. London: MacLehose Press; 2009.

Larsson S. The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. London: MacLehose Press; 2009.

Tervo J. Music therapy for adolescents. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2001;6(1):79-91.

Keen AW. Using music as a therapy tool to motivate troubled adolescents. Soc Work Health Care. 2004;39(3-4):361-73.

Pridmore S. The case of Joshua Kirk: an episode of schizophrenia. South Yarra (Vic): Schizophrenia Fellowship of Australia; 1994.

Byrne P. Why psychiatrists should watch films (or What has cinema ever done for psychiatry?). Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2009;15:286-96.

Dudley M. Images of psychiatry in recent Australian and New Zealand fiction. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1994;28(4):574-90.

Miller A. Death of a Salesman. London: Penguin UK; 2011.

Gabbard GO, Gabbard K. Psychiatry and the Cinema, 2nd edition. New York: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc; 1999.

Silberman S. Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the future of Neurodiversity. New York: Avery; 2016.

Goldbloom D, Bryden P. How Can I Help?: A Week in My Life as a Psychiatrist. Toronto: Simon and Schuster; 2017.

Downloads

Published

2018-02-08

How to Cite

Pang, N. (2018). Portrayals of child and adolescent psychiatry in mass fiction: focusing on Stieg Larsson’s complete works. Research and Humanities in Medical Education, 5, 5–8. Retrieved from https://rhime.in/ojs/index.php/rhime/article/view/150

Issue

Section

Perspective