Caitlyn Jenner Speaks Out About Mental Health Portrayals In Film And TV

Caitlyn Jenner recently spoke out about the portrayals of mental health problems in film and on TV shows when the reality star attended a panel discussion for a new research study focused on the issue.

On Thursday, the former Olympian was invited to be one of the panelists for USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s presentation of a new study on the portrayal of mental health conditions in media. The research was done in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and was funded by The David and Lura Lovell Foundation.

Entitled “Mental Health Conditions in Film & TV: Portrayals that Dehumanize and Trivialize Characters,” the study gave insight into how media portrayals of mental health conditions like mood disorders, anxiety, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others, are often inaccurate and do not really reflect what is happening in reality, as per Deadline.

The research also shed light on the lack of representation for the LGBTQ community members who struggle with mental health conditions. The researchers found that no LGBTQ characters with mental illness were present in the top 100 films of 2016 they examined and only 8 TV characters on the 50 shows of 2016 and 2017. This is said to be alarming, knowing that many members of the community are struggling with mental conditions.

“I had the privilege of speaking about mental health portrayals in film and TV alongside this intelligent group of people. A new report from [Annenberg Inclusion Initiative] shows the lack of representation of mental health depicted in popular media, especially in the LGBTQ community,” Jenner captioned a photo of the panel she shared on Instagram on Friday.

Aside from Jenner, the other panel members were AFSP chief medical officer Dr. Christine Moutier; Dr. Stacy L. Smith, who lead the study; and writer, producer and actress Gloria Calderon Kellett. The panel was moderated by Tre’vell Anderson.

It wasn’t clear if Jenner’s partner, Sophia Hutchins, who is also the executive director of the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation, was present at the event. As previously reported, the Pepperdine University graduate is currently busy working on her upcoming SPF line, called Luma Beauty. She’s been attending meetings and connecting with other businesswomen ahead of the product line’s launch.