Something Needs To Change || Academic Essay

Date: 23rd August 2023.

Content Warning for the following essay: discussions of rape, mental health, suicide, suicide attempts, self harm, death by restraint method. No graphic details discussed.

The media’s obsession with unrealistic and dangerous representations of mental health and neurodiversity; something needs to change.

How we represent and depict suicide, rape and neurodiversity within TV or film is crucial to the wellbeing and safety of the intended audience. Within part one of this essay, I focus on the impact Netflix’s TV show ‘13 Reasons Why’ had on its American and UK based audiences when it portrayed graphic scenes of suicide and rape. I focus on the content shown within season one, looking at Hannah Baker's storyline and how the show depicted her rape and eventual death by suicide. Additionally, I look at how the show opted to use mental health, suicide and rape as shock factors within characters storylines. Finally, I investigate the impact this portrayal had on myths around suicide and rape. Within part two, I look at the impact the 2021 film Music had on the autism community. I look at autism and the role the media plays on the stigma of autism within society. I investigate the media's impact on the stigma and stereotypes of autism, looking at other negative or poorly thought out representations of autism in the media and how Music follows in their footsteps. In part three, I contrast the poor depictions from 13 Reasons Why and Music with shows that were much more successful in their attempts to discuss and portray neurodiversity and or mental health. I discuss the Amazon TV series Modern Love (specifically the episode titled “Take Me as I am, Whoever I am” (2019)) and how it thematically depicted life with bi-polar through the use of musical theatre and stylistic choices. I then discuss Wednesday Addams from the 2022 Netflix series of the same name, investigating why she is a fantastic representation of an autistic character (despite not being named as such by the show's writers). Finally, I discuss coded autistic characters and whether coded characters are considered positive or negative in the fight for accurate portrayals of autism and neurodiversity in the media. I then conclude the essay, reflecting on what can be learned about representing neurodiversity and mental health in film and TV moving forward.

It is important to firstly define some key terms used and statistical grounding around the topics discussed. Mental health is defined as:

“a state of wellbeing in which the individual realises his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (Gov.uk, 2022).

If these conditions are not met, someone is living with a mental health condition. Mental health diagnoses range from common conditions like anxiety or depression to rarer conditions like Dissociative Identity Disorder. At the time of writing, it is estimated that 1 in 4 people in the UK live with a common mental health condition (Mind UK, 2020). Additionally, the Mental Health Foundation estimates 90% of people living with a mental health condition experience stigmatisation of their condition and discrimination (Mental Health Foundation, 2021). The media can increase this feeling as media portrayals “are often superficial, stigmatising, and inaccurate” (Portrayals of Mental Illness, 2022).

Neurodiversity or neurodivergent is a term that “refers to the concept that certain developmental disorders are normal variations in the brain” (Wiginton, 2021). The word neurodiverse is often used to describe an experience of the world that differs from the ‘norm’, for example living with generalised anxiety disorder, having ADHD or being Autistic (Baumer and Frueh, 2021).

Rape is a phrase that is used to describe “when a person intentionally penetrates another's vagina, anus or mouth with a penis, without the other person's consent” (Metropolitan Police, 2019). Sexual assault “is an act of physical, psychological and emotional violation in the form of a sexual act, inflicted on someone without their consent” (Metropolitan Police, 2019). It is estimated that 1 in 4 women will be raped or sexually assaulted in their lifetime and 85,000 women experience rape or sexual assault every year (Helpline, 2023).

The word suicide describes two different scenarios. Firstly a “death caused by injuring oneself with the intent to die” (CDC, 2021). Someone can attempt suicide when they “harm themselves with any intent to end their life, but they do not die as a result of their actions” (CDC, 2021). In 2016, suicide prevention and mental health organisation Mind noted the most common causes of suicide attempts. These include but are not limited to: Mental health problems, Abuse (verbal, sexual or physical or a combination), Isolation, Feeling inadequate or like a failure, Or the end of a relationship (Mind 2016). The discussions around suicide within this essay will be framed around the concept of dying by suicide and how we depict dying by suicide on screen.

I will now discuss the impact of the Netflix Show ‘13 Reasons Why’ and discuss the dangers of their choice to graphically depict a characters rape and death by suicide on screen.

Part One: The impact of 13 Reasons Why

13 Reasons Why is a TV show adaptation from the book of the same name. The show premiered in 2017 as one of Netflix's best performing shows, with season one reaching over 476 million viewing hours in the first month (Avestruz, 2021). However, it was arguably one of the most dangerous shows on the platform, going against best practice guidelines with its graphic depictions of rape and suicide within the first season.

There are numerous reports and guidelines before and after 2017 for the UK and USA on how to depict suicide and rape on screen. Research undertaken between 1970 and 2019 showed that graphically depicting rape leads to rape myths and can normalise sexual violence (Hogan, 2021). With regard to suicide depictions, showing the method of suicide increases the risk of audience suicide (see Samaritans, 2020 and National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, 2019) and avoiding details or oversimplifying the reason/s one might attempt suicide is also to be avoided (Bell et al, n.d.). Additionally, shows should not reinforce the idea that everyone who is suicidal will die from a suicide attempt and suicide stories should avoid being overly bleak or unrealistic (Gould et al, 2003). The World Health Organisation noted “if portrayals of suicide do not accurately represent reality, they can contribute to public misunderstandings of the nature of suicide, nurture myths and hinder effective suicide prevention” (2019).

Netflix has a history of ignoring guidelines. They bought the rights to a show about anorexia called ‘To The Bone’ and produced another called ‘Insatiable’. Professionals raised concerns over the danger the shows posed to vulnerable people (Walden, 2017). Both shows depict scenes of calorie counting, feeding tubes and hospitalisation due to anorexia and they both romanticise eating disorders (Kwasnik, 2018). Netflix continued this lack of consideration for their intended audience with 13 Reasons Why.

13 Reasons Why is rated 15+ with some episodes rated 18+ (see BBFC, 2020). It is aimed at young adults with Netflix placing it in the ‘teen programmes’ category. The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that one in seven 10-17 year olds experience a mental health disorder (roughly 13% of the global mental health burden). Additionally, WHO noted suicide is the 4th highest cause of death in 15-29 year olds (2021). In 2022, 25.5% of adults aged 18-24 reported having seriously considered attempting suicide in the past month, with approximately 9% of all young people between 18 and 24 having attempted suicide within 2022 (The Jed Foundation, 2022). In the first quarter of 2022 there were approximately 10.7 suicide deaths per 10,000 people in the UK - roughly 1200 deaths over the course of three months (Office for National Statistics, 2022). In addition to being vulnerable to suicide and mental ill health, mental health organisation Mind estimates half of all teens aged 17-19 self harm (Young Minds, 2021). 13 Reasons Whys marketing consistently state that it is designed to start conversations around mental health and suicide with teens (see, Still Watching Netflix, 2018). However, it actually “provided viewers with examples on how to engage in self-harm and ways to attempt suicide” (Grant et al, 2020).

13 Reasons Why's premise is simple: a 17 year old teen (Hannah Baker) has killed herself and left a series of tapes for 13 people who ‘helped to kill her’ to listen to. The story follows protagonist Clay Jenson, one of the 13 people mentioned in Baker's tapes as he unravels the horrors that led to her death. Critics and mental health advocates raised concerns around how the show portrays mental health stating it portrays the issues “with coy concern or with morbid fascination, [not] with actual compassion” (Bernstein, 2019).

13 Reasons Why is not the first TV show to be morbidly fascinated with mental health. Depictions of people with mental health issues being violent, dangerous, an outsider or even murderous are common in popular TV shows like Eastenders, Emmerdale or Coronation Street (Shift, 2010). Baker's character also falls into a lot of teen drama tropes as she is friendless, bullied and oversexualised (see Press, 2020 and TV Tropes, 2019). Furthermore, she never openly shows any signs of struggling with her mental health, appearing fine until her rape which happens the episode before she dies. She then goes from being completely fine to being suicidal within a single episode. Netflix never discusses how anything that happens to Baker within the show impacts on her mental health, instead opting to portray things for shock factor before forgetting them, only bringing them up when useful to the plot or for dramatic moments. The morbid fascination the show has with the graphic nature of mental health and suicide goes against the shows message of spreading awareness of mental health and suicide and its desire to start conversations with their audience around these topics.

As mentioned Baker experiences rape and sexual assault throughout the show, though how these are depicted and portrayed are unrealistic. Baker is assaulted by people she hardly knows. However research has shown that half of all rapes are carried out by the womans partner or close friend, with 5 out of 6 sexual assaults being carried out by people the woman knows (Rape Crisis, 2022). Had the show portrayed Baker being rape and sexual assaulted by Clay Jenson (who is a loose friend of Baker’s and has a crush on her), the betrayal and emotional turmoil would have been a lot more powerful and statistically much closer to the reality many women face within the present societal setting. This could have been a useful talking point for women and men alike. The show also never speaks about Bakers choice to not report the rape. Statistic show that 5 out of 6 women do not report sexual assault or rape and 4 of 5 men also do not report their assault or rape. Additionally, it is estimated that only 1 in 100 rapes are ever reported to the police, let alone go to trial (Rape Crisis 2022). Furthermore, the aftermaths of rape and sexual assault can lead an estimated 33% of survivors to contemplate suicide and roughly 13% of all women who have been sexually assaulted or raped have attempted suicide as well (RAINN, 2020). Similarly to glossing over how Bakers mental health deteriorated, 13 Reasons Why also glosses over her rape and sexual assault. It is graphically shown but then rarely mentioned in the following episodes, which arguably means it was there for shock factor and not to initiate an open conversation around sexual assault.

However, all of these depictions pale in comparison to one scene from season one. The scene in question showed Baker graphically dying by suicide in a bathtub. This is different from the book where Baker overdoses. After the show was released there were a series of concerns raised by mental health professionals “that the scene may have contributed to copycat suicides among teens” (Variety, 2019). In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, mental health campaigner Sarah Hulyer stated that Netflix was irresponsible in how they approached the portrayal of Hannah Bakers mental health and eventual suicide. Huyler noted that

“Mental ill-health and suicide isn’t pretty and while we need to admit that, we also have a duty to look out for the wellbeing of our younger generations and not encourage unhealthy behaviours. By graphically depicting the protagonist’s suicide method, they [Netflix] are not helping vulnerable young people; they’re encouraging them” (Campbell, 2018).

The consequences of Netflixs choice to show the method Baker used to end her life were wide spread with teen suicide rates spiking in the months following the release of 13 Reasons Why (see Kwok, 2021, Schwartz, 2019 and Bridge et al, 2019). Suicide-prevention organisations stated that the shows portrayal of suicide “went against best practice guidelines aimed at preventing further deaths” (Matthew-King, 2019).

In addition to the rise in suicide rates, one study also found that there was a rise in up to 75% in self harm rates in young people admitted to the emergency department following the release of the show (Sinyor et al, 2021). Another study noted that while the show did raise awareness of both suicide and self harm in its intended audience, mainly through Google searches, it also increased the suicide ideation within the same group (Jw et al, 2017). A final study on the viewing patterns on young people who watched the show found that after viewing the show, approximately 50% of the viewers had an increase in their suicide risk (Hong et al, 2019). Two years after its initial release, Netflix did cut the suicide scene from the show but arguably it was too little, too late.

In addition to the graphic depiction of Bakers death, there are two suicide myths the show actively perpetuates in its portrayal of Bakers mental health and suicide. These are:

• All people who are suicidal want to die.

• If a person is serious about killing themselves then there's nothing you can do. (Samaritans, n.d.)

Right up until the final episode of season one, Baker showed no change in her mentality towards life. Her suicide comes out of nowhere, with no prior warning signs. She records all 13 tapes in a single day, before killing herself later that evening. While this could be plausible, portraying Baker’s suicide as an unplanned, sudden event, is unrealistic as most people typically show at least one sign of suicidality and or have a sudden change in their mood or behaviour before they attempt suicide (see The Jed Foundation, n.d and SAVE, 2019). Within the episode where Baker dies, she goes and speaks to a counsellor at her school. This talk, which happens the same day she dies, is the first time Baker ever mentions feeling suicidal or even shows a clear suicidal ideation. She mentions giving life ‘one more try’ but dies within the same episode. It is unclear within the timeline of the show how much time has passed within the other 12 episodes but by not showing Bakers declining mental health, Netflix perpetuated the aforementioned myths around suicide and prevented the discussions they were after when creating the show from happening.

Additionally, Baker is yet another young, tragic woman who dies. There are countless representations of this within the media, from Orphellia in Shakespeare's Hamlet, to Daisy Randone in the 1993 film Girl Interrupted, young female characters are commonly seen dying on screen. However studies show more young men than women die by, or attempt, suicide (Vijayakumar, 2015). If Netflix truly wanted to start discussions around suicide, instead of continuing the trope of the tragic young woman, exploring male mental health and suicide would have arguably been a lot more useful and started the conversations they were after.

Baker suicide is also framed as ‘revenge suicide’ within the show, as she leaves her 13 tapes, and the stories within these tapes, behind to make the people who hurt her and supposedly drove her to her death accountable for their actions. Psychologists have said this message is dangerous for the intended audience as it does not fit with typical clinical practice; those experiencing suicidal thoughts are more prone to feel like a burden, than be able to plan a detailed mode of revenge like Baker did (Todd, 2017). The message that there is a direct causality between someone's actions and a person's suicide is incredibly harmful for those who have lost someone to suicide. Guilt, self blame and the desire to turn back time are common feelings when someone dies by suicide (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide, 2022) and the show actively placing blame on Bakers friend and family for not doing more when she hardly shows signs of suicidality is ethically wrong.

With 13 Reasons Why failing to explore the reasons Baker’s mental health deteriorated, as well as depicting her suicide and sexual assault in unrealistic ways, many suicide prevention organisations also raised concerns over the message the show sent that “seeking help for suicidal thoughts is futile” (Matthew-King, 2019). What is particularly concerning about the so-called ‘help’ that Baker receives within the episode, is the portrayal of the school counsellor Mr Porter. Both school counselling organisations and mental health professionals noted within the show the way Mr Porter attempts to help Baker is unrealistic and sends the message seeking help will only lead to belittlement, blame and oppression. Porter blames Baker for her sexual assault and rape, suggesting she said yes and then changed her mind afterwards. He belittles her suggestion that life is not worth living anymore; thus perpetuating another suicide myth where people who are suicidal are not taken seriously because they are “only joking or are not really serious” (Samaritans, n.d.). Furthermore Porter dismisses Baker's concerns over the bullying she is facing and again, suggests she deserves it in some way. The ASCA (American School Counselor Association) noted in a 2017 report that

The last episode of “13 Reasons Why” showed a school counselor [Mr Porter], albeit a fictitious one, who was uninformed about his unequivocal ethical imperative to notify the parents of a child who is suicidal and his legal requirements to notify administration when students are victims of dating violence (ASCA).

The show portrays Porter as an average representation of help within school systems. There is no suggestion that he was wrong, or should have done something to help Baker.

13 Reasons Why had countless opportunities in season one to educate and start conversations around mental health, suicide and rape with their intended audience. Baker’s storyline was a missed opportunity to investigate what drives someone to think about suicide and dispel myths around suicide, rape, sexual assault and mental health. But instead of safely choosing realism, 13 Reasons Why continued the trope of using mental health, suicide and rape as moments to shock their intended audience. They doubled down on the myths around suicide and arguably increased the stigma and misinformation around suicide and suicide attempts that is rife within society. 13 Reasons Why actively endangered their audience when they chose to graphically depict Bakers death and rape and failed to protect vulnerable audiences when they took two years to remove a scene countless mental health professionals and suicide organisations firmly stated was dangerous and triggering.

Media producers like Netflix need to be held accountable for their poorly portrayed characters and ensure when they produce a film on a sensitive subject, they do their research and collaborate effectively with experts in the area; a concept singer/songwriter Sia failed to do when she produced a film about autism called ‘Music’ in 2021. This film perpetuated many autism stereotypes within the media and similarly to 13 Reasons Why, failed to listen to experts within the field, instead opting to portray neurodiversity at surface level. I will now go on to discuss the shortcomings of this film.

Part Two: Music and the Importance of Autism Portrayals

Poorly researched and portrayed neurodiverse characters in films and tv shows can be just as dangerous, if not more so, than their mental health counterparts. While 13 Reasons Why arguably endangered its intended audience with its stylistic choices and overarching messages of seeking help and support for mental health being pointless, these effects were nothing compared to the danger the 2021 film Music caused to the autism community. Similarly to 13 Reasons Why, Musics’ concept is also simple: a nonverbal autistic young woman (Music) is left with no caregiver after her grandmother dies suddenly. Music's sister Kazoo is expected to step up and look after her but she has no idea how to care for Music or how to recognise or manage her needs. So, they both embark on a journey to discover how to exist together. However, despite wanting to “create a love letter to the autistic community” (Dodd, 2021) the movie ended up causing further damage and perpetuating stereotypes of autism that are commonly seen within the entertainment industry. It is important before we continue, to statistically ground the discussion around autism and the female lived experience of being autistic.

Firstly, within the autism community, identity-first language is preferred “I am autistic” rather than “I have autism”. In 2022, autism advocate Lydia Brown noted this identity first language stems from the knowledge that “autism is an inherent part of an individual’s identity” (Brown, 2022) and therefore, being autistic is not something the community wishes to cure or have taken away from them.

Secondly, there is a lack of autistic adult portrayals within the media. In a 2011 report on depictions of autism within the media (e.g. film, tv and the news), researchers noted the most common portrayal is that of a child. The researchers go on to note that “characters depicted as autistic were children in 90% of fictional books and 68% of narrative films and television programs” (Stevenson, et al., 2011). The lack of adults being portrayed as autistic within the media creates an environment where the autistic adult is invisible, creating a discourse between the reality of autistic adults within society and the media discussions and or reports. Additionally, Stevenson and colleagues noted that this narrative around autism being childhood related created a “stereotype of the “eternal child” ” (2011). This stereotype of an eternal autistic child is problematic as it suggests everyone who is autistic stays in a perpetual child-like state, despite this clearly not being the case as many autistic adults can live successful lives with minimal or no support (see Tobin, et al,. 2014). A 2023 systematic review around autism depictions in the media noted that “that portrayals of autism in film tend to focus on individuals with high support needs (e.g. full-time care and support)” (Jones, et al., 2023). Music is one such depiction of an eternal autistic child-like adult, with high support needs and the film garnered significant backlash from the autism community, something I will discuss later on.

Researchers have also noted this obsession with a child-like state of being links to the negative perceptions of autism being a “deficit” to an individual. In 2010, researcher Janet Graetz noted that “we live in a society that is less tolerant of many individuals, including the elderly and those with unique learning differences. [but] these differences should be viewed as just that – different” (Graetz, 2010). She went on to state an alternative view of this negative perception of being autistic, suggesting that “the concept of normality needs to be expanded to include all individuals” (Graetz, 2010), something researcher Phillip Patson coined “functional diversity” (2009). Functional diversity aims to take away the negative boxes we place neurodiverse and or disabled people into and instead suggests that we all need support, but the levels of support to live ones best life will differ from person to person. While this concept is far from perfect, I argue that by taking away the negative perceptions of being autistic and reframing the deficit model in a more positive light, the stories we see in the media, would become less obsessed over the sob stories of struggle and difference and perhaps, start to become a more nuanced, deep exploration of life as an autistic adult.

The third and final important topic is specific to the diagnosis of autism within women; this will place the importance of autistic female character representations in the media into perspective. At the time of writing it is estimated that “the ratio of autistic males to females is 3:1 [...] this is thought to be due to a lack of understanding of how autism can present in girls, who are often socialised differently” (National Autistic Society, 2020a). Women are statistically more likely to be late diagnosed with autism, which can have an adverse affect on their self esteem and mental health (see Bargiela et al 2016, Beck et al, 2020, Sedgewick et al 2020 and Organization for Autism Research, 2018). In one scoping review on the film representations of autism the authors found that under 50% of all autistic characters mentioned in popular films or TV shows were female identifying (Dean and Nordahl-Hansen 2021).

Researchers have argued that “the portrayals of autism in television and film media may have influenced its perception in society as well as shaped social attitudes toward the disorder” (Fontes and Pino-Juste, 2021). The media tend to follow stereotypical depictions of autism, namely:

• Being a white male

• Being interested in (or obsessed) with trains

• Rocking back and forth

• Repetitive Behaviours

And

• Having highly focussed interests (National Autistic Society, 2020a).

In his 2009 book ‘Autism and Representation” Mark Osteen noted the movie industry has “perpetuated or initiated stereotypes over the years [. . .] stereotypes so durable and pervasive that they have become mainstream society’s perception of [autistic] people” (2009). These aforementioned stereotypes can lead to women being later diagnosed and or being misdiagnosed with a mental health disorder instead being told they are autistic (National Autistic Society, 2020a). Draaisma (2009) noted some pervasive stereotypes around autism can be traced back to Kanner and Asperger who originally coined the term “aspergers” (what we now understand as autism) in their 1944 study on young boys in mental health wards.

However, despite the media's interest with young, white, train obsessed autistic males, many studies have shown that women and young girls face similar difficulties with socialising as their male counterparts, they just camouflage them more effectively (Gould, 2017). In 2020, researchers found that autistic people are often faced with the decision to disclose that they are autistic or conceal it, but importantly “feel they are treated negatively either way” (Botha et al., 2020). This negative perception around autism could arguably be because of the media's obsession with a child-like autistic person, and the framing of autism within society, being a ‘burden’ on both the caregiver, autistic person themselves and the economy as a whole (Baxter et al., 2015).

The 2021 film Music follows this negative perception of the ‘burden’ of autism on the caregiver, with Music often being portrayed as someone in her own world, who is completely unaware of Kazoos attempts to help her or communicate with her. This is not the first time this depiction of autism has been shown in the media. Netflix produced a TV series called Atypical; a coming of age story focussing on Sam, a young autistic male who simply wants to find a date (Rotten Tomatoes, 2017). Much like Music, Sam’s struggles are often portrayed as a burden on his family, with his sister repeatedly becoming jealous of the support Sam needs and his inability to know he is doing something ‘wrong’. Sam's mother is also incredibly overbearing, refusing to let her child grow up, thus creating a cycle where Sam is perpetually in a childlike state, unable (or not permitted) to make choices for himself.

Similarly to 13 Reasons Why's failure to consider the message it sends to its audience, Music also shows dangerous and inaccurate information around autism. Twice within the film a dangerous restraint method is shown being used to ‘calm down’ the non verbal Music when she is overwhelmed and goes into a ‘meltdown’; a term used to describe sensory overload or overwhelm that is specific to the autistic experience (National Autistic Society, 2020b). Not only is the method shown, incredibly dangerous and has resulted in the deaths of young autistic people, but within the film the method is portrayed to its audience as the correct way to deal with an autistic person when they are unable to cope (Cynical Reviews, 2021 and Garcia, 2022). However the forcible restraint method shown is “particularly dangerous for the autism community [as] an autistic person may not be able to tell you when they can't breathe” (Oliver, n.d.). The film never discusses this and despite requests by the autism community and advocates to remove the scene due to its danger and triggering content, at the time of writing the scene is still present within the film (Fabian, 2023).

Musics’ meltdown within the film is correctly portrayed as her completely losing control of her behaviour, breaking down and being unable to stop this reaction. However, what the film fails to explore is the other side of meltdowns, where someone may simply shut down, go mute, withdraw from situations or avoid them all together (National Autistic Society, 2020b). The National Autistic Society goes on to say that the best way to deal with a meltdown is to support the person, to give them time, ask anyone who stares to move on and to try and create an environment that is calm for the person who is experiencing overwhelm (2020b). Kazoo's film based solution goes against this advice, as she refuses to give Music space or support and never actively tries to understand why Music may be overwhelmed; opting instead to force Music to the floor, holding her in a bodylock and expecting her to calm down. This is not only incredibly distressing to watch but as previously mentioned, this method is shown as successful as Music calms down. These two scenes were part of the reason the film garnered intense backlash from the autism community.

There were two additional reasons the film caused distress to the community it claimed to love and represent.

Firstly in addition to the restraint method shown, the use of overwhelming lighting and sound within the film arguably made the film inaccessible for the autism community. The use of strobe lighting and sudden loud sounds throughout the film could lead to sensory overload for autistic people. Sensory differences are common within the autism community and there is typically a divide between those who are under-sensitive to sound, light, touch, smell, taste and balance and those who are over-sensitive to it. The National Autism Society states that someone “who finds it difficult to process everyday sensory information can experience sensory overload, or information overload. Too much information can cause stress, anxiety, and possibly physical pain. This can result in withdrawal, distressed behaviour or meltdowns” (2020c). By including bright, loud and sudden noise, light changes and colour, the film is creating a highly stimulating environment, which could be too overwhelming for members of the autism community.

The second (and arguably more important) issue is that of representation. The lead actor Maddie Zeigler (who portrays Music) is not autistic and her portrayal of autism is overly big, dramatic and inaccurate to how autistic people typically act. Critics of the film stated that Zielger “gave a performance equivalent to autistic minstrelsy” (Garcia, 2022). An important point in relation to non-disabled actors portraying disabled characters is “abled actors’ performances, including Ziegler’s, tend to focus on portraying the appearance of disability more than the person” (Kurchak, 2021). By portraying the disability rather than the person, the film dehumanises autistic people, actively dismissing the autism community’s desire for identity-first language, and accurate, nuanced portrayals of autism. This insincere depiction of autism resulted in many members of the community speaking out against the film, wondering why an autistic actor was not cast in the role instead. Director Sia garnered further criticism from the community when she took to Twitter stating she had originally asked a non-verbal autistic actor to play the role of music but when the actor got overwhelmed, Sia opted to replace her with Ziegler (reference this). With roughly 16-22% of the entire population of autistic individuals being employed full time (National Autistic Society, 2021 and 2016), the accessibility (or inaccessibility) of the workplace, once again, got called into question.

The discussion around the inaccessible workplace is one that could form an entire essay on its own but in short finding work, interviewing for a position and working in a job, requires support and disclosure of one's neurodiversity. Many employers do not have the understanding of reasonable adjustments that could help autistic people access suitable jobs and as such, autistic people are often left behind (National Autistic Society 2016). As a result of the aforementioned information and context, the film as a whole has become widely known within the autistic community as a horrific, stigmatising and offensive portrayal of autism (see Burford, 2021, IndieAndy, 2021 and Layle, 2020).

Music also opened up debate around representation on screen in a wider context. One such representation is that of ‘coded characters’. Coded characters are “the numerous characters in shows who are never confirmed, or made to be explicitly autistic, but which autistic fans claim as such” (Mullis, 2019). Many characters are arguably autism coded, from Wednesday Addams in the 2022 Netflix show of the same name, to Shelden in The Big Bang Theory (Walsh, 2022 and Mullis, 2019). These characters show autistic traits and despite not being openly autistic, are arguably a more accurate portrayal of autism than many of the ‘outed’ characters. I will discuss Addams’ portrayal later on. Coded-characters should never be made in place of openly neurodiverse characters but they can shed light on how communities prefer to be portrayed and the kind of portrayals they are most interested in seeing within film and TV. I will now discuss shows that portrayed mental health and neurodiversity in a much more positive and realistic light.

Part Three: Modern Love and Wednesday Addams; what they got right

While 13 Reasons Why and Music failed in their quest to portray realistic storylines around mental health and neurodiversity, both Modern Loves’ Lexie and Wednesdays’ character of the same name, successfully created characters who respectively live with bi-polar or are autistic. Both shows chose very different ways of achieving their end goal, with Modern Love depicting a highly stylistic representation of bi-polar and Wednesday being set in a fictional realm, full of magical creatures, mystery and quirky characters. While these shows are far from perfect, I argue that they show it is possible to create realistic characters and educate film/TV shows audiences around sensitive topics, without creating a show full of triggering or dangerous moments.

Modern Love takes 13 Reasons Why's concept of educating and starting conversations around mental health and creates a world in which the viewer can truly experience Lexie's view of the world and her mental health. The show's director John Carney opted to use striking visuals and musical theatre, song and dance to show the audience how Lexie experiences the world as a woman with bi-polar. Bi-polar is a “mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression)” (Mayo Clinic, 2021). The show itself is based on a New York Times column of the same name. Within these columns writers explore their lived experience of the world and their journey to finding love, whether that be self love, rekindled love in marriages or loving a child. The influence of lived experience experts' stories cannot be dismissed. The script of the episode itself is almost word for word that of the article written by Terri Cheney in 2008. The striking visuals used within the episode are clear when reading the article, with Cheney noting the darkness of her depressive episodes, directly contrasting the glow and sparkle she feels when she is in a manic episode (2008). Reviewer Greg Wheeler noted that:

During the brighter moments everything radiates with colour, background characters sing and dance their way through a dream-like state and Lexi’s clothes are suitably extravagant and wild. When things turn dark, so too does the colour palette as everything is muted, dingy and outright depressing to look at (2019)

Using a more stylized way of viewing mental health can be highly effective in educating the viewer on how it feels to live with a disorder. Take Me As I Am, Whoever I Am is respectful of Lexie's experience, never shying away from the hardship she faces but unlike 13 Reasons Why, Modern Love does not over dramatise the experience of mental health. Despite the show being loud and aesthetically bold, bright and dramatic, the content of the show is never graphic, nor does it stray away from the grounded reality of mental health conditions. Modern Love allows the viewer to experience the world as Lexie does and without its aesthetic choices, this aim of immersion would not be as effective.

The 2022 Netflix show Wednesday also creates an immersive experience for the viewer. Set in a fictional realm where werewolves, witches, merfolk and other fictional beings are real, it is full of mystery and intrigue. After repeatedly pranking the aptly named “normies” (those who are human in the world) one too many times, Wednesday Addams is sent to a boarding school (Nevermore Academy). Many people have speculated since the character of Wednesday Addams was created, that she is a coded autistic character due to her having many similar traits to those who are part of the autism community. Throughout the show Wednesdays consistently has a lack of understanding around social relationships. She does not care for friends, not fitting in. She is hyper fixated on solving the mysterious murders happening around Nevermore and seems unaware of other people's feelings for her, being accused of being fake or deliberately mean by people around her. Yet she remains unphased; perhaps because she does not realise how important relationships are to those around her. Additionally, she is flat and monotone in her speech and is literally an outsider; a feeling common within the autism community (Nast, 2022). Nast expands on their thoughts on Addams importance within the neurodivergent coded characters stating that Wednesday “is punished by her peers for her perceived inability to interpret emotions” (2022), which again, is a common feeling within the autism community.

Researchers have argued that actor Jenna Ortega's portrayal of Addams hits many of the diagnostic criteria for autism. She has repetitive behaviours, refusing to stop her routine of writing in her journal. She also has sensory needs, hating bright colours and having a headache if she is around colours for too long (a sign of sensory overload). She also hates any form of change, resisting counselling offers and offers of help because they are unknown. Finally, as previously mentioned her lack of facial expressions, inability to notice the emotions, feelings and expressions of those around her and her monotone speech, also indicate she would qualify for an official ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnosis (Jenkins, 2023). Importantly, Wednesday is a positive portrayal of an autistic person. Unlike Music, she is never portrayed as a burden on those around her and while she starts the series off alone and fighting change, by the end she is wholly accepted by those around her. She finds a group of friends who understand she is different and accept her for who she is. She also finds her place in society, realising her gift of seeing the past and future, can help to keep people safe. And she also accepts the change in herself and those around her, settling into her life in Nevermore and appearing happy.

However, it needs to be noted that Wednesday's autism diagnosis is speculative and therefore she does nothing to further the portrayal of autistic women within the media due to her being coded. But the significant connection the community has with her, suggests she is a character that represents the autism communities' desire for realistic, positive and nuanced portrayals of autism within the media.

Conclusion:

Representation in the media matters. Media producers have a duty of care to their audience and without listening to experts in the field, shows will continue to endanger their audiences. Both 13 Reasons Why and Music poorly researched and portrayed subjects that require compassion, care and understanding of the communities being portrayed. 13 Reasons Why chose to ignore research around safely depicting rape, sexual assault, suicide and self harm, which put its audience in harms way. Netflix has a history of doing this and continued to include triggering subjects within the 4 seasons of 13 Reasons Why, with little to no regard for the vulnerable audience the show could reach. Music also refused to listen to experts in the field, repeatedly showing restraint scenes that have killed young autistic adults and children and refusing to remove them from the film when requested. The film also raised ethical concerns over who should be portraying neurodiverse characters and the current working conditions in society that do not support autistic adults in their venture to becoming employed.

Shows like Modern Love and Wednesday prove that it is possible to immerse and educate your audience on mental health and neurodiversity and perhaps listening to the type of characters and representations communities want, will help to guide future portrayals of autistic characters or characters with mental health conditions. Shows do not have to be dark or show triggering content to start conversations around mental health and neurodiversity, sometimes a simple aesthetic choice can start more detailed and more informed discussions around different experiences of life.

If we are to truly start to dispel myths around suicide, mental health, rape and autism, how we depict and discuss them within the media is crucial. Media producers and directors like Netflix and Sia need to be held accountable for their actions and ensure they listen to best practice guidelines within the field. Otherwise the media stands to trigger, endanger and ostracise the very audiences and communities they claim to represent and support. Something needs to change.

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