'Hope You Enjoy The Show!' – Public Reaction to Mental Illnesses in Celebrities

In the early hours of 15th May 2016, global star Sinead O'Connor went missing after a bike ride. She posted a status on Facebook about her custody battle and reports began emerging on that authorities were concerned for her health. Back in 2007, she had told Oprah Winfrey that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had attempted suicide, as well as revealing her past struggles with suicidal thoughts.

"Amazing that people admire her...they need a sanity check too".

"She has always blamed other people for her problems. Take control woman".

"A certified 'fruitcake'".

At just 13 years old, Amanda Bynes had her own chat show and by 24 she had starred in multiple box-office hits including, She's The Man, Hairspray and Easy A. However, in 2012 Bynes was the subject of a media frenzy. After multiple legal issues including DUI's and hit and runs, her parents filed for conservatorship of her financial and medical affairs due to a judge noting that she had a "lack of capacity to give informed consent to medical care." Again in 2013, Bynes was placed in temporary psychiatric care when she announced on Twitter that her father had molested her. She later said that he didn't molest her, but he did put a microchip in her brain which forced her to make the accusation.

"I guess her prior self, who was adored and admired by many, wasn't enough for her".

"SNAP OUT OF IT."

"That would be so embarrassing to me to be 29 years old and my parents have the decision-making authority over me."

Both women said or did things that indicated the need for medical attention. Bynes' family have refuted speculation that she has bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, while she herself has confirmed she has bipolar. Realistically, she is totally within her rights to keep her health care private, just as O'Connor is within her rights to be as public and open as she wishes with her affairs. The similarity remains; however, the actions of both women are in the public eye which automatically makes their lives available for public consumption. In the eyes of the hungry tabloids, they are fair game.

Many articles are published daily about celebrities who are being open about the problems they have. Demi Lovato and her bipolar disorder, Megan Fox and her obsessive-compulsive disorder and Jim Carrey and his depression. The difference is hearing about them and seeing them. When we can 'see' the symptoms of mental disorders, we do not know what is happening. We do not understand why these people are "suddenly" acting this way, so we point and laugh, put it down to attention seeking and hide under our collective blanket of ignorance.

Since Bynes' darker times, articles are now appearing that discuss her road to recovery . It's recently been reported that she has had a new haircut and back in March, she drank an iced tea. Interestingly, people accept this as proof she is okay. "I'm so glad she's on the mend," "she's looking great" and "What a difference!' As ignorant as it is to assume that she is no longer mentally ill because she has been pictured smiling on a sunny day; these are positive words. In fact, the tide seems to have turned, as most of the comments on the most recent articles about Bynes are positive. So why when she was in turmoil and blatant emotional distress back in 2012 she was branded "embarrassing", but now we believe she is better, there is an outpouring of sympathetic advice and congratulatory well wishes? Ultimately, we did not understand what we saw, so we rejected it. This time, instead of her mental state, it is her outfits that are being analysed and we can deal with it no problem, because we understand it.

When the news broke that Robin Williams had committed suicide back in 2014, we questioned how a man who seemed so lively and happy could, in reality, be so desperately sad. His 25-year-old daughter Zelda tweeted "My dad openly fought depression his whole life. Mental illness is often misunderstood and misrepresented, but that is starting to change. Let’s end the stigma.” The world agreed to stand by that. But how long until we consume and ridicule the breaking news that a celebrity has shaved their head or set fire to a driveway?

The differences between the passing of Williams' and the ongoing struggles of O'Connor, Bynes are twofold. The first is that women are subject to a different level of criticism than that of men in the tabloids. British Academy postdoctoral fellow Jai Mackenzie said ‘women – no matter their accomplishments or field – are written about as if they’re nothing more than a sum of body parts to be either leered or jeered at.’ We will accept articles using verbs like ‘displays’, ‘flaunts’ and ‘reveals’ about a celebrity who is usually pictured doing some mundane activity like walking with her car keys, subtly suggesting that she has a part to play in her objectification. It is either perfection with success or its flaws with failure. We appear to treat the later pretty inhumanely.

The second is that we never explicitly saw his struggles. Although he was open about his demons within his inner circle, the people who never met him just saw a man who had devoted his life to his immense talent of making people laugh. We never saw the lows of his depression and the highs of his mania. If we had ever seen his symptoms, would he have faced a similar backlash of insulting remarks and accusatory comments? O'Connor herself said "When you admit that you are anything that could be mistakenly, or otherwise, perceived as 'mentally ill,' you know that you are going to get treated like dirt, so you don’t go tell anybody," she told Sky News, "and that’s why people die."

So, what can do to grow out of this ingrained fear of mental illness? Get educated. Discuss mental illnesses in schools and start conversations that kids will continue with each other as they walk home. Begin to realise that we shouldn't wait until someone dies to recognise and validate their struggles. Get it on children’s radar and get them thinking about it. It will take decades to make a difference to our society's general attitude. But mental illness is a reality and you can be damn sure that isn't going to change anytime soon.