Mad as a Hatter

In today's political turmoil, words like "racism" and "feminism" are often tossed around. These issues are constantly being evaluated, but what about equality for other minorities?
In her persuasive essay "Disability", Nancy Mairs argues that more representation for the physically disabled is necessary in media for the sake of both disabled and able-bodied people; An increased representation would lessen the "self-degredation" and "self-alienation" felt by disabled people while acclimating able-bodied people to the idea of disabilities, which most will wind up having towards the end of their lives.
However, she does not delve deeply into the effects of misrepresentation, which can be just as damaging as underrepresentation. This is particularly true in the case of mental illness. Even though representation of the mentally ill is present in media, their images are too often romanticized.
This is most apparent in television, which frequently connects mental illness with genius.
Take BBC's Sherlock Holmes, the sef-proclaimed sociopath. He is indisputably brilliant, but is plagued with addiction. Through the course of the series, his need for heroin nearly kills him a number of times. Even so, the show seems to imply that his addiction facilitates his powers of deduction: If he does not get his drugs, he cannot access his "mind palace" (Holmes' personal memory storage) and therefore cannot solve the crime.

Sorry Benedict, but addiction is no joke.

In reality, though, addiction is no laughing matter. In fact, over the past 13 years, the number of overdose deaths due to heroin has increased 6.2 fold while the number of overall overdose deaths has increased 2.2 fold. While this increase is not all due to media, it certainly does not help that addiction is misconstrued as the key to brilliance.
Holmes is not alone. Other characters much like him are rampant throughout television, including Gregory House, who is depressed and addicted to Vicodin, and Sheldon Cooper, who has obsessive compulsive disorder. These men both have potentially debilitating disorders. But, the media says it's a-okay for them not to seek help because they are geniuses.
However, most people don't have the intellect of Einstein. The media's correlation of mental illness and intelligence leaves those who do not fulfill these standards with the "painful...isolation" of their illnesses. They are in possession of a life that is not feasible to others. With one in five adults in the US experiencing mental illness, it's time for the media to change up its view. -MC

Sources:
https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates
http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers