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Schizophrenia on Waterloo Road
Posted Wednesday 14 March 2012
Viewers of the BBC’s School drama Waterloo Road will this week see one of the characters diagnosed with schizophrenia – a storyline that we helped to develop.
This is just one of the TV shows that I am currently working with. As part of our Time to Change campaign with Rethink Mental Illness, I am working to make sure that storylines are realistic and that the characters dealing with mental health problems are being portrayed as accurately and sensitively as possible.
Storylines and scripts are written months before broadcast and it’s a long process where input can be sought every step of the way.
The first step generally involves an informal chat with a story researcher where we will throw around ideas about timescales, symptoms and discuss a possible climax. This allows them to build what is called a story arc.
In drama they often want situations to move very quickly or to have a tragic ending with the character written out of the show. I am constantly trying to make sure that stories do not always end in violence or that a character does not suddenly experience a mental health crisis without the viewer having seen some build up and possible triggers.
If a storyline is given the go-ahead by the writing team then I get in touch with our media volunteers. The volunteer will work with researchers and writers to give an emotional responses to the storyline. They draw on their personal experiences to offer guidance on how a character may react in certain situations. We try and find people who are as close to the fictional character as possible in terms of age, location and direct experience.
The media advisory service is currently supporting two of our most watched soaps: Eastenders and Emmerdale. One of our volunteers told me recently that he has begun to see the scripts that he has worked on appear during his evening viewing. And has heard many lines that he helped hone come out of this characters mouth.
With one in four of us experiencing mental health problems, soaps also risk annoying or alienating a great chunk of their audience if they write a character that is one-dimensional, unrealistic or simply a stereotype - the ‘mad, bad and dangerous’ mould.
Soaps and dramas have a huge potential for reaching large, particularly young, audiences. They are among the most watched television on our screens.
Featuring characters with mental health problems can have a positive impact - it can help us end mental health discrimination, help people recognise mental health problems and can also encourage people to seek help.
Of course it is all very top secret as no-one wants a soap ‘spoiler’ ruining their armchair viewing. I have had to sign a confidentiality agreement and can’t leave scripts lying around for prying eyes.
When watching with friends, I find it hard to stop myself blurting out future scenes. And I know that all our volunteers can’t wait for the day when they can tell people about the double life they have been leading, helping to get the message across through drama and soaps.
Jenni Regan, Senior Media Advisor, Time to Change
Find out more about our media advisory service or becoming a Time to Change media volunteer.
8 Comments
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I'm pleased to hear that Mind is being consulted on soap stories involving mental health. I used to get frustrated with the TV drama "The Bill" because if it was stated that someone had mental health problems, it was pretty certain that character would end up threatening to end someone's life as well as his or her own. Let's hope that negative stereotyping will one day be a thing of the past.
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i am pleased to see you are getting so much pleasure from getting your message across
its such a pity that in the case of the waterloo rd storyline your message you have helped get across is factually flawed misleading arrogant and completely at odds with all the avaliable scientific evidence how could anyone in your position with your responsibilities allow this to happen??? how -
Jenni, you have obviously got something right as, and I am sure I am not alone, when watching the character I became convinced (before he was diagnosed) that he is suffering from schizophrenia due to his delusional and psychotic episodes. Perhaps this will be linked to his fondness of smoking skunk? The story debunks the common belief that it is "only mad people" who suffer from mental illness.
I also enjoyed the bi-polar story in Eastenders, especially when Stacey was talking with the psychiatrist, it was very realistic. -
It is really useful for us to get comments both good and bad about the storyline.
The way the script advisory service works is that we provide factual advice and put story researchers in touch with people who have been through similar things to help inform the development of the plot.
However we can’t promise that what makes it to screen will always reflect our advice (there will always be an element of artistic license in a drama), but we hope that it will be more authentic and sensitive with our input and that of our supporters. -
It's never going to be perfect; it's Waterloo Road, not Panorama.
It seemed very easy and quick for the character involved, one smashed fire alarm and bam! schizophrenia. If that happened in an actual school he'd get detention, not a trip to the doctor. (remembering the rest of his "symptoms" were largely unnoticed by others, all the teachers really saw was after he'd smashed the alarm)But at least they did it better than Casualty, a programme that continues to get it spectacularly wrong time and time again.
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I have been following Waterloo Road for years with my children and yes it has it`s ups and downs. Joshs` battle with hallucinations is portrayed as frightening and we wait to see if his condition improves and if it will be linked with his cannabis consumption. I can explain these scenarios to my family but many will be touched by something similar actually happening to them - right now !
Why Why Why ??? When these topics are raised in this programme - currently 3rd in the BBC list of popularity
Is there no helpline information at the end of the show?
Nothing on the Waterloo Road Website?
Surely this is an ideal opportunity to reach out to those in need of help and support with services such as MIND & YoungMinds ?
What is MIND doing? -
I am very disheartened whilst watching this storyline develop, why has first episode pyschosis not been identified? promoting recovery and yes linking in the experiences with cannabis use. Everyone has levels of vulnerability which can lead to a psychotic episode and a lot of people can actually recover with the help of early intervention teams and never have another episode or some relapse. Some however if left undetected will go onto have a severe and enduring mental illness but to label 'schziophrenia' in such an early stage is doing nothing to promote awareness to these teenagers, most would still face the the stigma of being labelled. If you have researched then why is this not identified. This may come in the future storyline, however in the first instance something of this nature would be assessed by the early intervention in psychosis teams as study show if supported in the first stages if illness the better the outcome.
I feel this is not promoting postive mental health, and the fact the the person was prescribed 'old school' antipsychotic medication, well thats another matter. -
I blogged on here last night, however did not appear so I apologise if I am repeating myself. I am quite disheartened that Waterloo Road has not used this opportunity to promote early intervention in pychosis. Instead Josh was diagnosed as a schizophrenic and prescribed old school medication. Studies show that as humans we all have certain levels of vulnerability (refer to the stress vulnerabilty model) and a number of stressors may contibute to this i.e studying, puberty and general anxieties and depression. If detected early, given the support and prescribed low dose atypical medication (although not always necessary), helped to identify early warning sides (for relapse) than alot of these teenagers can recovery. Studies show if treated in the first 3 years the outcomes are better. However I feel labelling Josh as a 'schizophrenic', when it should be correctly refered to as a first episode of psyschosis, (presumably as there was no reference to any earlier episodes) and shown to be able to be helped recover, this may help with the stigma and help the kids suffering from this to come forward and ask for help. Studies show it may take someone up to 2 years to visit a GP, are to afraid to speak of their voices and it is assumed they are sufferiing depression and anxiety and prescribed antidepressant medication. I really feel this is not helping with labelling and reducing stigma.
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