People First Radio – March 28, 2024People First Radio – March 28, 2024
People First Radio
Heather and Sarah Taylor talk with People First Radio about how film and TV portray mental illness and disability, and what better representation can look like. They share frustrations, uplifting examples and practical ideas for both creators and viewers who care about mental health and recovery.
0:00•28 Mar 2024
Brains on Screen: Heather and Sarah Taylor on Honest Portrayals of Mental Health
Episode Overview
- Screen portrayals of mental illness and disability often rely on generic labels and quick fixes, which distort public understanding and feed stigma.
- Accurate, long-term depictions of conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and cerebral palsy help people feel less alone and can support family conversations.
- Hiring consultants and creatives with lived experience leads to richer, more specific characters and avoids tired tropes like the “bad guy because of mental illness.”
- Viewers are encouraged to stay curious, treat shows as stories rather than manuals, and seek out accounts from people who actually live with these conditions.
- Creating accessible, flexible work environments benefits everyone and reduces the pressure on individuals to constantly disclose or justify their needs.
“We’ve done 47, 48 interviews now… and you just realise we’re all way more similar than we think.”
What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery, and how does screen culture shape what people think those struggles look like? This instalment of People First Radio zooms in on how film and TV portray "brains" – mental illness, disability and neurodivergence – through the eyes of Canadian sisters and industry insiders Heather and Sarah Taylor.
Heather, a writer and director, and Sarah, a film and TV editor, co-host the podcast Braaains (with three a’s), where they talk with guests who have lived experience of bipolar disorder, cerebral palsy, OCD, dissociative identity disorder and more, alongside clinicians and researchers. Here, they share how frustrating it is to see lazy shorthand on screen: characters labelled “schizophrenic” as a catch‑all, agoraphobia used any time someone doesn’t want to leave the house, and miraculous “problem of the week” cures.
As Sarah points out, audiences then “see yourself in that” and feel confused or erased. They highlight better examples too, from shows like Latecomers, Insecure, As We See It and the Broadway musical How to Dance in Ohio, where characters’ diagnoses exist as part of a full life rather than their entire personality. Heather stresses that “every person is so individual,” and that one portrayal can never stand in for a whole community.
The pair talk shop about writers’ rooms, budgets and the excuses productions make for skipping consultants and people with lived experience. They argue for simple but meaningful changes: disability training on sets, accessible workplaces, and a culture where asking, “What do you need to do your best work?” is standard. For viewers, their message is simple: be curious.
If a storyline about bipolar, psychosis or OCD catches your attention, go and read, watch or listen to people who live it day-to-day. As Heather puts it, “We’re all way more similar than we think” – so what might change for you if you watched your favourite shows with that in mind?
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