Been reading about the link between teenage bullying and mental health problems. Have a look at this- it was published back in 2009, but the point still stands.
When I was growing up I didn't really know anyone who wasn't bullied. I've forgotten most of it now, but it tended to the psychological side. You know- whispering, exclusions, that kinda stuff. People refusing to sit next to you. It probably did have an effect on me, although not anymore, I'm glad to say. Kids can be horrible- William Golding knew it when he wrote Lord of the Flies, Stephen King knew it when he wrote Carrie, and adults look back and know it. Anyway.
Various organisations have done surveys, and discovered that adults who were bullied as children had more chance of developing depression, anger issues and other mental health problems. I think maybe people are starting to realise now how problematic it can be, and putting a stop to it in schools. It'll never be wiped out completely, though, so please, dudes and dudettes, think before you do it...or go watch Mean Girls or something.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Black Swan
Playing in cinemas right this minute, and nominated for a whole lotta Oscars, this is a film about a ballet dancer who is pushed further and further into the world of the mentally ill. There's blood and sex and all sorts, as the sweet girl dancer, Nina (as played by Natalie Portman, who is amazing) slowly gives in to her darkest desires.
It's hinted that Nina has an eating disorder- she won't eat much and she's seen being sick. She also doesn't really understand people, she's utterly withdrawn and her fellow ballet dancers see her as an ice-queen bitch. She has no friends besides her mother, who rules her life with an iron fist. And all she really lives for, seemingly, is ballet. She's on the edge, and winning the role of the Swan Queen pushes her over it. To play the White Swan she needs only her talent, but to act the Black Swan she needs sensuality and lust. Her quest to utterly perfect this role sees her have sex with another woman, her rival, Lily (Mila Kunis). Or does she? Reality and fantasy start to blur.
It seems Nina may also have a history of self-harm, picking at her skin- dermatillomania. Throughout the film a rash on her back gets worse: by her final hallucination her whole skin is rash. Whatever mental health problems Nina has, her mother is unhelpful. "I thought you'd gotten over this silly habit,' she shouts at Nina before literally dragging her to the bathroom and trimming her nails.
Nina does get to dance the Black Swan, but her health (physical health, too) is left in tatters. And I won't reveal what happens at the end. But it's a brilliant exploration of an obsessed, battered mind. Only...you know, I felt so sorry for her, and any real-life Ninas. I wish she'd sought help instead of a starring role.
It's hinted that Nina has an eating disorder- she won't eat much and she's seen being sick. She also doesn't really understand people, she's utterly withdrawn and her fellow ballet dancers see her as an ice-queen bitch. She has no friends besides her mother, who rules her life with an iron fist. And all she really lives for, seemingly, is ballet. She's on the edge, and winning the role of the Swan Queen pushes her over it. To play the White Swan she needs only her talent, but to act the Black Swan she needs sensuality and lust. Her quest to utterly perfect this role sees her have sex with another woman, her rival, Lily (Mila Kunis). Or does she? Reality and fantasy start to blur.
It seems Nina may also have a history of self-harm, picking at her skin- dermatillomania. Throughout the film a rash on her back gets worse: by her final hallucination her whole skin is rash. Whatever mental health problems Nina has, her mother is unhelpful. "I thought you'd gotten over this silly habit,' she shouts at Nina before literally dragging her to the bathroom and trimming her nails.
Nina does get to dance the Black Swan, but her health (physical health, too) is left in tatters. And I won't reveal what happens at the end. But it's a brilliant exploration of an obsessed, battered mind. Only...you know, I felt so sorry for her, and any real-life Ninas. I wish she'd sought help instead of a starring role.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Psychonauts
Meet Raz:
Ever played a game called Psychonauts? Probably not, it's tricky to get hold of now, so I hear. But it is magnificent. And about mental health. It makes learning about mental health awesome, in fact.
Raz is a Psychonaut, a boy who can go inside people's minds. Once in their minds, he can sort their emotional baggage (actual baggage- handbags and suitcases), collect the figments of their imagination, and fight off whatever nasty things are in their brain. They're all a mixture of memories, you see, of good things and bad things which happened to them. My favourite is the disco level, inside the mind of a sweet party girl with a dark secret: throughout the whole level there's laughter in the background until you listen harder and realise it's crying...
Anyway. This game is really, really good. Wanna play it? Turns out you can, because we're running a 'Gaming 4 Wellbeing' session on Friday now, where one can explore one's mental health through the great, glorious medium of GAMES. Wanna come? Just send an email to admin@recoveryresourcescharity.co.uk. And then get praticing your l33t skillz.
Ever played a game called Psychonauts? Probably not, it's tricky to get hold of now, so I hear. But it is magnificent. And about mental health. It makes learning about mental health awesome, in fact.
Raz is a Psychonaut, a boy who can go inside people's minds. Once in their minds, he can sort their emotional baggage (actual baggage- handbags and suitcases), collect the figments of their imagination, and fight off whatever nasty things are in their brain. They're all a mixture of memories, you see, of good things and bad things which happened to them. My favourite is the disco level, inside the mind of a sweet party girl with a dark secret: throughout the whole level there's laughter in the background until you listen harder and realise it's crying...
Anyway. This game is really, really good. Wanna play it? Turns out you can, because we're running a 'Gaming 4 Wellbeing' session on Friday now, where one can explore one's mental health through the great, glorious medium of GAMES. Wanna come? Just send an email to admin@recoveryresourcescharity.co.uk. And then get praticing your l33t skillz.
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