WEIRDLAND: Jennifer Lawrence talks Mental IIlness Stigma

Friday, March 01, 2013

Jennifer Lawrence talks Mental IIlness Stigma


Jennifer Lawrence, the new darling of the film industry after she won the Best Actress gong at the Oscars, said she was on a campaign to change the public perception of mental illness after accepting her award.


She was recognised for her role in the David O. Russell drama, Silver Linings Playbook, about two troubled people who find connection and stability with one another. "I don't think we're going to stop until we get rid of the stigma for mental illness," she said. "I know [director] David O. Russell won't, and I hope that this helps. "It's just so bizarre how in this world if you have asthma, you take asthma medication. If you have diabetes, you take diabetes medication. "But as soon as you have to take medicine for your mind, it's such a stigma behind it." Source: www.news.com.au


"The American media has promoted images of mental illness that are patently untrue. People know that what they see on television isn’t necessarily accurate, but the image of the violent criminal suffering from mental illness has sunk in through sheer repetition. A longitudinal study by the Mental Health Module Team found that between 1950 and 1996, the proportion of Americans who describe mental illness in terms consistent with violent or dangerous behavior nearly doubled. Since then, the media’s grossly fictional depictions of mental illness have only increased. Yet most studies have found little correlation between mental illness and violent crimes. One study in the American Journal of Psychology found that only five percent of violent crimes are committed by those suffering from mental illness." Source: www.studlife.com


Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012) directed by David O. Russell

Clothing worn by Jennifer Lawrence in her Oscar-winning role as an outspoken young widow in comedy "Silver Linings Playbook" went up for auction on Tuesday, just two days after the Academy Awards ceremony. Memorabilia dealer Nate D. Sanders put the skin-tight white dance pants, winter coat and sports bra Lawrence wore in the film up for sale in the online auction that will end on Thursday. The items are expected to fetch between $500 and $1,500 following the 22-year-old's Best Actress win on Sunday.


"She's now on the record for having an Academy Award, which definitely gives it (the items) status now," said Laura Yntema, spokeswoman for auction house Nate D. Sanders. Five items, either worn by Lawrence or from her wardrobe on the film, are up for auction with starting bids at $100. Source: www.reuters.com


Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale and Josh Hartnett in "Pearl Harbor" (2001) directed by Michael Bay


This WWII era U.S. Army Air Corps pilot’s flightsuit was worn by the character “Danny Walker” portrayed by actor Josh Hartnett in the 2001 Jerry Bruckheimer production “Pearl Harbor”. The tan colored flightsuit with zippered front has a brown leather nametag on the left breast with the character name “D. Walker” sewn on as seen in the film. The interior collar of the garment has the original Motion Picture Costume Company label sewn inside with the actor’s name “Josh” handwritten in black ink.


This item was acquired directly from the costume house that provided it to the production and is accompanied by a letter of authenticity. The garment is in good screen used condition with some minor evidence of wear from its use in action sequences.


“Pearl Harbor” won an Oscar for Best Sound Editing in 2002 and received numerous other nominations including Best Effect, Visual Effects, Best Music, Original Song, and Best Sound. The film featured an all-star cast including Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alec Baldwin, and Jon Voight. - Source: www.thegoldencloset.com


Radha Mitchell and Josh Hartnett in "Mozart & the Whale" (2005) directed by Petter Næss

"Mozart and the Whale" is a 2006 romantic "dramedy" about a man and a woman with Asperger syndrome and, in many ways, it makes a very neat thematic companion to the other film. In "Adam" (2009), the protagonists' relationship ultimately fails because the title character's autism prevents him from fulfulling an appropriate "masculine" role. In Mozart and the Whale, the relationship succeeds because both characters are autistic; neither of them can successfully maintain a relationship with a "normal" person but, as the tagline says, "They don't fit in. Except together." The troubling implication is that if autistic people are going to pursue romantic relationships, it's best if we stick with "our own kind."


The relationship also works because Donald (Josh Hartnett) can take on a normatively masculine role in relation to Isabelle (Radha Mitchell). Even though he is arguably "more autistic" than she is (his behavior is much more rigid and ritualistic, and he is less socially aware), she is ultimately "more disabled." She exhibits mood swings, manic outbursts, and petulant, domineering behavior that prevent her from integrating into normative society. This renders her sufficiently dependent, and Donald can take on the role of emotional and financial caregiver. Source: bitchmagazine.org


Josh Hartnett as Donald Morton in Mozart and the Whale (2005)


"Patients with Asperger's syndrome, a rare pervasive developmental disorder, have characteristics such as eccentricities, emotional lability, anxiety, poor social functioning, repetitive behavior, and fixed habits that can mimic symptoms of other illnesses, including schizophrenia spectrum illness, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Their disorganizing anxiety in response to stress, which may be accompanied by increased oddness of speech, can easily be misinterpreted as psychosis."
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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