Amanda highlights a growing crisis among teens and considers how one series, Ginny & Georgia, communicates the challenges of mental health.

Content Warning: This article contains discussion of depression, anxiety, and self-harm.

Young people are experiencing a mental health crisis. A recent report stated that, while all teens experienced increasing mental health challenges, girls fared worse than boys across almost all measures in the United States (US). Specifically, nearly three in five (57%) teen girls reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, which is double that of boys, and the highest level recorded over the past decade. These gendered inequities in mental health issues are not unique to the US; a cross-national investigation found that the adolescent gender gap in mental health is ubiquitous cross-culturally. The study theorised possible explanations for this disparity: attempts to satisfy multiple gender norms, lack of access to mental health support, and mental health stigma, to name a few. 

Mental health is multifaceted and navigating mental illness within our complex healthcare systems and stigmatising societies is challenging. With its wide and accessible reach, popular media has become a powerful tool in efforts to raise greater awareness and de-stigmatise mental illness. Television shows in particular can reach huge audiences—Netflix alone has 232.5 million subscribers worldwide. One Netflix show—Ginny & Georgia—knocks it out of the park in appealing to young girls, representing the struggles of mental illness, and modelling healthy help-seeking behaviour.

The Netflix original tells the story of Georgia, a young mother with a complicated history, and Ginny, her teenage daughter, who navigates growing up while learning about her mother’s past. Struggling with anxiety and depression, Ginny confides in her father, Zion, that she is self-harming. Careful consideration was taken to not romanticise this behaviour; portraying maladaptive coping mechanisms, like self-harm, is a potential trigger to audience members. Zion immediately acts to find Ginny a therapist, showing support for his daughter and recognition of her struggles. Throughout the show, we see multiple scenes of Ginny in the therapist’s office, normalising this healthy help-seeking behaviour and shedding light on what a therapy session could look like.

We continue to see change with Ginny’s mood and behaviours, as there are many moments when she feels the need to self-harm but instead utilises the coping mechanism suggested by her therapist: plucking a rubber band around her wrist. To add another layer of complexity, Ginny hides her mental health struggles from her mother at first after learning that Georgia doesn’t “believe” in therapy. Eventually, Georgia learns of Ginny’s struggles and joins her daughter for a therapy session, realising how helpful therapy can be for Ginny and their relationship.

Stories like Ginny & Georgia are relatable; a recent study found that 22% of adolescents engaged in self-harm in their lifetime, and only 47.2% of those with any mental illness received mental health services. This show finds the right balance between educating the audience on the warning signs of self-harm and on appropriate help-seeking behaviour, without romanticising the maladaptive behaviours.

On the other hand, the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why fails to use its platform appropriately. While intended to help those with suicidal ideation, the series ultimately romanticizes suicide, places blame on others, and displays help resources in a negative manner. These inappropriate messages undermine the effectiveness and accessibility of the show for its intended viewers, including teenage girls.

Early recognition and intervention of mental health disorders is important: a study on the lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders found that 50% of all mental illnesses begin by age 14, and 75% by the mid-twenties. As such, extra care must be taken to educate adolescents and their caregivers on the warning signs of mental illness and ensure timely intervention. Telling stories of mental illness in popular media has the potential to provide such education to a large audience, but it is essential that this is done appropriately and with care to equip teens with essential skills, such as managing emotions and asking for the support they need. Through compassion and creativity, we can meet young people where they are and empower them to advocate for their mental health and health without judgement.

Resources:

To learn more, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing offers Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses to help adults identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adolescents.

If you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support, visit https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/ to find your local crisis number.