P02-228 - Writers who Hate Psychiatrists

Abstract

Objectives

Mental Health related stereotypes are very common in literature and cinema, with a great influence on public opinion and attitudes. In many cases, a message is transmitted that reinforces prejudice towards mental diseases and people who suffer them. Prejudice often affects mental health professionals, particularly psychiatrists, thus adding to a slanted, pejorative image of those professionals. Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, and its main protagonists, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkist, have got an enormous popularity, becoming a literary hit almost without precedents. The saga's success has also been fueled by cinematographic superproductions based on the novels. To examine whether Millennium trilogy transmits negative messages about psychiatry and psychiatrists that can potentially influence public opinion and contribute to misconceptions and stigmatization of those mental health professionals.

Methods

Millenium characters related to mental health are analyzed, as well as the stereotypes transmitted by the novels, especially in the case of psychiatrists, represented by ominous Dr Teleborian.

Results

The potential of this successful trilogy for spreading negative misconceptions about Psychiatry and psychiatrists is discussed, as compared with the much more benevolent treatment of other general health and mental health professionals appearing in the novels.

Conclusions

Literature and cinema have a strong impact on public opinion, can potentially have the effect of increasing stigma and may also contribute to creating a distorted image of mental illness, psychiatry and psychiatrists.