Many people have painted a dramatic image in their minds of how a person with schizophrenia might behave. They may incorrectly picture a frantic person speaking to themselves or a murderer who killed somebody because they heard voices in their head. In reality, the number of people with schizophrenia who exhibit these behaviors is very low. Many people with the disorder are able to tap into their dopamine overactivity and harness their imaginative thoughts. They are also capable of managing their psychotic episodes by recognizing what is real and what is not and, in turn, attempting to calm their minds down. In fact, some people with schizophrenia are among the most creative and artistically successful people in society. Yet, because primarily negative examples of schizophrenia have been portrayed in the media, society has been subconsciously trained to fear or look down upon people with schizophrenia, causing them to develop a low self-esteem and be isolated from “normal” environments.

In The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays, Esmé Weijun Wang frequently explains her desire to come off as a “regular” person. As an alumnus of Yale and other prestigious universities, she highlights the strength of her mind in terms of her intellect when discussing her experience with schizoaffective disorder, a mix of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Throughout the entirety of her book, she emphasizes her normalcy beyond her psychotic episodes in order to feel more secure about who she is deep down. She says, “There exists a normal version of myself beneath the disorder” (70). To Wang’s colleagues, classmates and long-term partner, she is a talented, brilliant human being. Despite her successful career and innately skilled writing, she continually feels the need to prove her worthiness to those who she is not as connected to by verbally disconnecting herself from the disorder. This perpetual desire stems from the stereotypes enforced upon her by external subjects who have not understood that schizophrenia is not always all-encompassing.

So, why have we been misinformed about the implications and symptoms associated with schizophrenia? From an early age, we are taught by our families, friends and communities who we should associate with. As we grow older, the media polarizes our opinions, causing us to develop stereotypes about people who are unlike us (often people who we are not frequently exposed to). In terms of how we view schizophrenia, these stereotypes are typically dramatized thanks to the media’s desire to make alluring films and earn big checks along with them. This process, according to Bobbie Harro, is called the cycle of socialization, and it is one of the most powerful drivers in how we interact with each other. Through this cycle, many people would describe their ingroup as abled people, and those with a psychotic disorder would be placed in an outgroup, facing negative categorizations from those in power. These divisive associations have caused us to live closed-minded and ostracize those with a mental disorder, ultimately lowering their quality of life.

In the United States, roughly 1.2% of people are diagnosed with schizophrenia, so a vast majority of the population does not frequently encounter someone who repetitively undergoes psychosis. For reasons like this, the news and film media play a heavy role in how we perceive somebody with this disorder—and in most cases, they display it in a negative light. With improved education and accurate exposure, though, Americans can humanize people with a psychotic disorder again and help pave the way for their success as members of society. Harro acknowledges that this widespread change in perspective may be difficult as she writes that “it is frightening to try to interrupt something so large. ‘What does it have to do with me, anyway?’ say many [in power]. ‘This isn’t my problem. I am above this’” (50). Harro, like many of us, knows it is difficult to go against the grain and speak out against a system that has brought security to so many members with agent groups. Nevertheless, it is important that we try to provide individuals different from us with equal opportunities to thrive, no matter the person’s history of mental illness.

Even in our progressive world, we still struggle to view all people on the same level—as human beings. Social power systems determine who we interact with and how we interact with them. The gap between abled and disabled continues to grow larger and larger as people develop more egocentric perspectives and resist empathetic principles. Many people who have not experienced mental illness either within themselves or from a person close to them resist viewing people with schizophrenia in a more positive light. They may not understand that psychosis does not consume people with the disorder, causing outsiders to draw a line between what they deem normal and abnormal. In The Pain Scale, Eula Biss counteracts this belief by explaining “that you cannot compare my pain to yours. And, for that reason, cannot prove it insignificant” (80). Even if a person has not been exposed to the effects of psychosis, they still have the ability to place themselves in another person’s shoes and try to understand the struggles that accompany the experience. Moreover, they could also acknowledge how biased media can further damage a person’s mental health. The reason people with schizophrenia are discriminated against is not because they are different, but rather because many Americans believe that they are not deeply exposed to people with psychotic disorders and, in their eyes, should then not care. To reverse this attitude, people should make an effort to understand the implications of schizophrenia and not lock people with the disorder in a stereotypical box.

Because of how we have been socialized, we may not try to see life from the perspective of someone with a mental disorder when it is necessary. As we stray further from openly trying to understand each other, we will struggle to transform as a society. People whose rights are obstructed due to unjust and overgeneralized policies will continue to be isolated. Those who discriminate against people with schizophrenia will develop less empathetic perspectives, which will hinder their ability to support the people around them and adapt to changing societal beliefs. If we as a nation can give assistance to those with the disorder by disproving the media’s depictions of it and by changing mental health policies, then together we can welcome people with psychotic disorders into society and help them reach their greatest potential.