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HOLLYWOOD

ITS DARK UNDERBELLY-SCHIZOPHRENIA

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4/7/2016

This essay discusses schizophrenia in Hollywood. It introduces the disease and then shows how the
media and acting in Hollywood predisposes actors to schizophrenia. It mentions the lives of celebrities
who have suffered from schizophrenia from the 1980’s. It then zeroes in on the recent succumbing of
an actor to the disease as a point of discussion.
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Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................3
Schizophrenia, the disease...........................................................................................................3
SCHIZOPHRENIA IN HOLLYWOOD.....................................................................................4
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................5
BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
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This article tackles an intriguing subject, especially when discussed with Hollywood in

mind. Hollywood portrays glamour. Every motion picture, event or award ceremony paints a

glitzy picture. Notably, people such as Joan of Arc (Christopher), Vincent Van Gogh (Blumer)

are recorded as having suffered from Schizophrenia. The red carpet and all its attendant activities

put the people who participate in it a bubble. This bubble is fed and maintained by a frenzy of

motion picture productions, interviews and so many other ways that put individuals under

scrutiny for qualities which would not ordinarily carry in the normal world.

As entertainment in the United States blossomed in the eighties, its reach expanded

beyond the borders of the United States. More and more actors had to adapt to the more rigorous

standards of the rapidly evolving entertainment sector. With the further explosion of internet

connectivity and the appetite of a global audience, schizophrenia is becoming a real concern.

Hollywood itself is teeming with persons who suffer from the disease.

Starting from this premise, it is easy to see how such an environment could create a class

of persons who have multiple personalities in order to fit into both the ‘red carpet’ and ‘normal’

lifestyle. There exists the extraneous need for multiple personalities required by for good acting

in different capacities and living in a normal setup. In addition to that, the lifestyles portrayed in

Hollywood also have an effect on the viewership. The domino effect is that individuals also

develop impersonal personalities that are based on the material they view on the in print and

audiovisual media.

Schizophrenia, the disease

The main characteristics of schizophrenia are: delusions, confusion, withdrawal of the

person from normal interactions and a generally bizarre disposition. (Kayla Bernheim).

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Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that causes the sufferer to think that they are under the

influence of another person. Even when they are not acting as another person, they act in a

manner that is fundamentally different from their normal dispensation. While under the active

exertions of the disease, the person acts, behaves in a totally uncharacteristic way. In that state,

the patient assumes the character of his or her fixation. (Fanous)

Usually, the mental disorder manifests in late adolescence or early adulthood. The main

rationale for this is that such people are highly impressionable at that stage of their lives. In this

age-what we call the technology age- schizophrenia manifests even outside this age bracket. The

allure of an alternative personality with which patients feel they could better tackle hard

situations is a main driving factor.

SCHIZOPHRENIA IN HOLLYWOOD
Various roles in Hollywood –both theatrical and on the silver screen- push actors further

and further away from their dispositions. ‘Getting in character’ in order to capture to deepest

characteristic of a casting role isin vogue. The paradox is that the industry itself has come to treat

those suffering from the sickness as failures since they failed to ‘resurface’ from the role in

which they immersed themselves. As early as the eighties, Hollywood stars such as Marilyn

Monroe have fallen victim to the disease as stardom predisposed her to an alternate character that

proved fatal.

Making a list of all those who have suffered from schizophrenia would basically turn this essay

basic description. It would deviate from the purpose of this paper; that is to understand the effect

of the disease on an actor’s life and career. Thus, I believe that looking at a specific Hollywood

personality would go a long way in unravelling its effect on the actor in Hollywood.

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‘The joker’ as he was known by many fans was the role of a deranged villain in the

blockbuster-‘Batman Begins’. He succumbed to the disease and as a result the movie was

released posthumously. Heath Ledger had a history of schizophrenia. It manifested through the

actors intensity of adopting the characters he portrayed in various roles. In the movie, he played a

deranged schizophrenic who was the main antagonist of the movie. At this point the

schizophrenic symptoms became demonstrably visibleHowever, the manifestations did not

warrant the attention to the sickness as his acting benefitted a great deal. In addition to the

negative publicity (Benov) a schizophrenic personality would attract, the attitude towards the

antisocial symptoms of schizophrenia made him look like more of a celebrity.

Celebrity status in itself stereotypically comes with a life on the fast lane complete with

drugs. This factor has been empirically proven to predispose schizophrenics to violence. (Seena

Fazel). The tragedy was that the more the symptoms manifested; the more success he enjoyed as

an actor. Almost as if the antisocial tendencies of schizophrenia fed a public need. The

increasing incidence of violence in audiovisual entertainment acted as a very effective mask for

the symptoms of the disease. It therefore comes as no surprise that the actor eventually

committed suicide

CONCLUSION
From this short inquiry, it is clear that schizophrenia has taken its hold over society. In its

various forms and degrees, the disease has a strong grip on entertainers. Schizophrenia has been

romanticized in Hollywood despite being one of the most debilitating mental diseases especially

to an acting career. After the death of Heath Ledger a prominent actor- the industry opinion

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shapers would be wise to truly distinguish and appreciate those who have made good efforts

from those who suffer from the disease.

Everyone should be in a position to: learn to identify factors predisposing one to the

disease, identify the symptoms and lastly where to find help for anyone who suffers from the

disease.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Benov, Etien. “Stigma of Schizophrenia: Assessing Attitudes among European University

Students.” Journal of European Psychology Students (2013): 40-43.

Blumer, D. “The illness of Vincent van Gogh.” American Journal of Psychiatry 159.4 (2002): 1-
40.

Christopher, Howse. “The voices that Joan of Arc heard.” 30 1 2016. Telegraph.co.uk. 7 4 2016.

Fanous. “Relationship between positive and Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia and

Schizotypal Symptoms in Nonpsychotic Relatives.” Archives of General Psychiatry 195
(2001): 669-673.

Kayla Bernheim, Rischard Lewine. Schizophrenia: symptoms, cuases and treatements. W W

Norton & Company, 1979.

Seena Fazel, Niklas Longstrom, Anders Hjern, Martin Grann, Paul Lichtenstein. “Schizophrenia,
Substance Abuse and Violent Crime.” Journal of American Medical Association 301.19
(2009): 2016-2023.