Did the iconic film Psycho (1960) set the precedent for how mental health topics are portrayed in the media?
Psycho (1960) centres around the owner of a rural motel, Norman Bates, and fortuitous circumstances which lead a young woman to stay there for the night. She is murdered by Bates whilst showering, alongside the private investigator who comes looking for her, in this now iconic, first of its kind, slasher horror.
Upon his apprehension, the audience learn from a psychiatrist that Bates had killed his mother and partner several years ago, and the guilt of this crime had led Bates to embody his mother as an alternative personality who was manifested when he committed these murders.
This film presents another example of a main character being dangerous, unpredictable, and violent because of their mental health and another instance of the word psycho being used in the media.
It is a similar depiction of dissociative identity disorder (DID) to Split (2016) where an alternative personality commits violent crimes in what is generally considered a misrepresentative portrayal of this disorder. There are some elements of these depictions that may be more representative however, for example Bate’s traumatic family background behind his mental health.
Psycho is considered to be one of the most iconic films1 of all time and culturally and historically significant. The famous shower scene for example has even been recreated in a recent Sabrina Carpenter music video2. With its respective wide reach over time, questions can be raised about whether it sets the precedent for misleading stereotypes about mental health problems and language, including DID.
