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High School Students View on Mental Illness as Depicted by Technology


Sheila Mable
ABSTRACT

This study is created with the primary purpose of potentially understanding the
impact of viewing mental illness through technology and media particularly on the
perception of high school students on individuals who are suffering from mental
illness. In order to get to the root cause, the strategy employed in order to gather
data involves several techniques, including face-to-face, semi-structured, as well as
recorded interviews which involve the participation of twelve students enrolled at
the ABC High School, ranging the ages 17 to 19 years old. This study focuses on
improving technology and media literacy skills of each and every participant, thus
enhancing their capacity to think in a critical way, analyze and evaluate the
information they get from technology and media. The findings have showed
ultimately that most of the participants that were included in the group believe on
what they see as negatively presented in the media despite the fact that they do
not
have
basis
in
analyzing
the
reasons
behind
it.
INTRODUCTION

Teenagers, as well as younger children, are typically less prone to availing


treatment, as well as in accepting the emergence of mental illness as caused by the
negative reactions coming from their peers regarding these kinds of disorders.
44.5% of young adults in the country, as well as 34% of high school students
develop certain forms of mental illness in their lives, at one point or another
(Understanding the Plight of Mental Illness, 2013). The stigma and perception
evolving regarding mental illness has created a great impact on the willingness of
high school students to discuss these things together with their parents, friends,
and members of their school staff (Ryle, 2002). As what is presented in studies,
media highlights the negative stereotype of mental illness. This has ultimately
caused the existence of inaccurate details regarding individuals who are suffering
from these types of problems. They are often viewed as people who are dangerous
to be with.

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These days, there are numerous organizations and groups spearheading this effort
of raising awareness regarding mental illness among high school students. Some
have even visited high school campuses to do so. For example, Youth Awareness, a
non-profit organization that works with the purpose of helping high school
students to communicate openly about mental illness, has created several events
and drives in order to promote this endeavor. (Jamic, 2011). This organization is
composed of more than 500 smaller clubs in several campuses. The project started
at a single high school campus, where the organization members work proactively
along with other students in order to possible change the way they look at mental
illness. It is extremely important for high school students to completely understand
that they are definitely not alone in this fight. The group also collaborates with a
different organization that offers a good amount
of information about different mental illnesses. The subject regarding mental
illness is quite relevant because of the evident need of performing adequate
research especially on the views of high school students, including their overall
understanding about the topic and comparing it with what they actually see being
depicted on social media, media, and other sources of technology.

High school students are the ones that are especially vulnerable to these incorrect
influences because they are the ones that are openly exposed to television, movies
and social media. Needless to say, celebrities have a big role in what the society
believes because what they say, and what their experiences are, can influence the
opinions of those watching them, especially when it comes to matters that are
deemed as controversial, such as topics involving mental health. Celebrities have
the capability to reach to a wider group of audience with the opinions that they
freely expose on their social media accounts. The experiences that they present in
their profiles and pages in different social media websites often does a lot in
normalizing peoples perception regarding the individuals who are suffering from
these types of disorders.
Through Gerbners theory of cultivation, this research works at discovering how
high school students actually interpret the messages that they see in social media
regarding this topic. These students were born in this modern age. Therefore, they
have a greater understanding with regard to technology, including other involved

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mechanisms. This theory explains that individuals who actually spend more time
exposed to social media and other sources of information are more likely to
develop a perception that actually reflects what they learn from these sources.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION

The participants of this study were asked about their main source of news and
entertainment updates. They readily answered that social media, on-demand and
bulletin board sites are their primary sources. For gathering news information,
Twitter is the main answer, followed by Facebook and Instagram. They also refer
to news stations such as CNN and BBC for hard news and updates. These
participants have reported being exposed to about 1-2 hours daily on social media
and television.
This research was primarily geared towards understanding the possible connection
between the coverage depicted in social media as well as other sources of
technology, including the participants perception on people who are suffering
from mental illness. For individuals who want to continue or make another study
on this topic, it is highly suggested to do interview on more participants. If highly
possible, the participants should be able to represent diverse cultural backgrounds.
This is very important in order to accurately see the actual influence of cultural
perception. This factor also needs to be considered as it can also impact the
conclusion on the subject. There are questions that also need to be revised
according to the level of the student in order to be guided accordingly when it
comes
to
appropriateness
and
understanding.
REFERENCES

Understanding the Plight of Mental Illness. (2013). Relationships in the Social


Setting:
The Role of Modern Celebrities.
Ryle, J. (2002). Understanding the Depth of Interviews: A Discovery. Interview
Procedures Journal, 18(2), 204-211.
Jamic, M. (2011). The Impact of Celebrity Exposure to Social Perceptions.

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