ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the pitfalls of the representation of mental illness by TV series and the current shift for better and more accurate portrayals. The authors analyze the British coming-of-age dramedy My Mad Fat Diary to explore its impact as a primary source of information about mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, self-disgust, self-destructive behavior, and eating disorders. Due to the show’s coming of age nature, mental illness is presented with dark but also humorous scenes to illustrate the many phases of depression while revealing the additional handicaps that mental illness patients face during teenage discoveries such as first love, friendships, future hopes, etc. For this reason, the show tells the story in a first-person voice, allowing the audience to know the feelings and thoughts of main character Rae Earl through her point of view while providing room for empathy. The conclusions demonstrate that there is hope in facing depression by exploring therapy, medication, and group support that encourage self-love and acceptance but not without facing difficulties along the way. Instead of depicting a “picture perfect representation” of mental illness the series offers authentic characters that suffer from fractured families, self-loathing, and everyday issues.
