Some are happy with the D.C. reboot, others aren’t.
In the later category, we have a trio of psychiatrists, H. Eric Bender, Praveen R. Kambam and Vasilis K. Pozios, who have written an op-ed piece for the New York Times that calls out D.C. for its portrayal of those with mental problems.
In the piece, published earlier this week, the trio writes:
That’s why DC Comics should seize the opportunity with The New 52 to move to the forefront in transforming mental health depictions in comics. To start, writers should stop overemphasizing a link between violence and mental disorders to explain criminal behavior.
Moreover, accurate portrayals of symptoms should be paired with correct terminology to describe them. For example, writers might refer to the Joker, frequently depicted as lacking empathy and being a pathological liar, as “psychopathic,” rather than “psychotic.” In comics, these and other psychiatric terms are casually interchanged; in psychiatry, they are drastically different.
And disorders should not always define the character. For DC’s Starman, schizophrenia was just one aspect of this superhero’s life. More balanced depictions should show characters with mental illness coping with concerns common to us all, hero or villain.
You can read the full op-ed piece HERE. And let us know if you agree or disagree.
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