Changeling

This movie captures the difficult situation of being falsely accused of having a mental illness. As actress Angelina Jolie portrays a mother who has lost her son, police return her a boy who is not really her son. As she fights to explain what has happened, police determine she has a mental illness and locks her up in an insane asylum. Angelina fights to prove she doesn't have a problem, which causes even more problems for her.

Lars And The Real Girl

Lars And The Real Girl explores the ideas of a person with a social disorder. Lars believes that he is in love with a doll that he takes with him everywhere. Lars' family explores the issues of dealing with someone in the family with a social disorder, and how to help him through his life.

Media has some good and bad examples of mental illness. Often disorders are extreme and don't accurately portray the realness of mental illness.

There are many stigmas attached with mental illness, and how we react to these stigmas shape the way many of those with a mental illness act. Stigmas keep people away from being diagnosed, keep parents from diagnosing their children, create socialized ways of behaving, and so many more consequences. Understanding that there are stigmas will help people to begin breaking these down.

Students are volunteering at two mental health locations in Minneapolis.

Below is Vail Place, which specializes in community outreach in the mental health field. The center acts as a clubhouse for those with mental illness to go and socialize, work, or just relax.

The second location students are volunteering at is Spectrum Community Mental Health, located on Chicago Avenue. The center helps those with mental illness find work, and also a place to come and socialize with others.

Both locations provide the students with direct learning, to understand how mental health organizations function, and how they affect those with a mental illness.

Looking at seven theories; labeling, pathology, social disorganization, value conflict, deviant behavior, critical perspective, and social construction-ism we will choose one theory to study mental illness through by process of elimination.

Each perspective provides us with a different way of viewing mental illness, and the issues surrounding the topic. We will need to choose the best perspective to use when understanding this issue.