Since the first recording and theory behind mental illness in the 1800s, the illness has been subject to negative judgment until in the 20th century. This common judgment means that many patients are forced to cope with the tribulations of the disease, but are also subject to social exclusion and prejudice. Overall, people with mental illness are affected by traditional stigma and are pressured to conform and sacrifice all individuality. A familiar idea is described in the text "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", written by Ken Kesey which is set in the 1960s and in the 2008 film, "Silver Linings Playbook", directed by David O. Russell. In both texts, "madness" is presented as detrimental to society, with this perspective encouraging marginalization and mistreatment of the mentally ill as they are pressured to conform to society's expectations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” written by Ken Kesey, set in 1962 in modern-day Oregon, explores important themes of individuality. and rebellion against conformism. Through these themes, Kesey presents the counterculture of the 1960s protesting individual freedom against a repressive society and the widespread perception that if one does not conform to "normality" one simply does not belong there. not. The hospital itself is a metaphor to further describe the oppressive society of the 1950s by creating a marginalized society of "sane" and "insane". During this period, questions and challenges were posed to authority in all its forms, particularly around state-run mental health facilities. Psychology now says they were poorly funded and organized, with limited knowledge of the treatments used. The challenge to authority is depicted in the novel through the patient McMurphy, who refuses to conform while questioning the deep limits of institutional practices and therefore Nurse Ratched, a symbol of authority and conformity of the era. She needs to fix patients, which further corroborates Nurse Ratched on a machine as she has to fix the broken parts of society that are men, echoing the marginalization and idea of ​​conformity under pressure by incorrect treatments. Likewise for "One Flew Over The Cuckoo 'Nest", "Silver Linings playbook" which takes place in 2008, features characters who live a modern vision of fighting against the widespread perception that if one does not conform to “normality”, they simply have no place. The film depicts "madness" through the two main characters Pat, who suffers from extreme bipolar and was sent to a psychotic hospital for 8 months for an outburst of violence upon discovering his wife's affair, and Tiffany who is severely depressed because of the death of her husband. The two characters cross paths and in a world where madness is cured by love, the two characters simply help heal by matching their "madness". Through an in-depth analysis of their struggle to lead normal lives, Russell describes how they are not. They do not fit into society and how the negative stigma and perception around their mental illness cannot be lifted. For basic experiences like dinner parties, family conversations, and romantic relationships, both characters struggle while others struggle.treat differently because of their mental illness. Due to the negative stigma surrounding their illness, the characters are driven mad by society's pressure to conform, and as a result, their recovery is called into question. The relationships between the characters in both texts can illustrate how essential an individual's support system is in regaining their mental well-being. be. In "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", Chief Bromden suffers a difficult recovery and suffers further from his mental illness due to 1960s culture and a poor support system. His character suffers from paranoia, a past of self-deprecation and therefore prefers to act mute and hide from reality in a drug-inflicted fog. The fog he observes symbolizes how the patients have been dehumanized as the chief hallucinates that the ward is run by machines that control the men physically and psychologically. Initially, the Chief suffers alone in his thoughts, manipulated by Nurse Ratched into believing that he is invisible and mute, unable to see himself in any other way when he declares. Therefore, reinforcing the fact that his withdrawal into himself is a result of the nurses' belittling and how, as an ultimatum, Bromden struggles to recover from his "insanity" due to a poor support system. Additionally, the support system is essential in overcoming mental illness. Parallels can be seen in modern society: more than 450 million people suffer from mental illness, but two-thirds of them never seek help from a health professional, indicating that with the support, more people would speak out. In contrast, David O. Russell uses the relationships within Silver Linings to highlight the positive impacts on a family and the dynamics of caring for someone with mental illness, adding a hopeful angle on the how love can help heal one's mental state. Pat is a character who suffers from extreme bipolar and was admitted to an inpatient psychiatric facility for nearly beating someone to death in an outburst of violence. However, after 8 months, Pat is released while his mother Dolores watches over him. As the family adjusts to the new circumstances, the family is pushed to its breaking point, as evidenced in the scene where Pat accidentally elbows his mother and ends up in a physical fight with his father and wakes the neighbors. In this scene, Pat has an extremely violent outburst while trying to find his wedding album that his parents hid to help him get over his unfaithful wife. Through the rapid panning movements of different shots of Pat and his father fighting and close-ups of the expressions of fury on Pat's face as he fights his father, it becomes clear that he is unable to see the irrationality of his actions. Even though the family faces difficulties, his parents continue to support him. Their relationship shows how love for a child is unwarranted and Pat has an incredible support system. This idea that people with mental illness can heal as individuals in society with support is relevant as the stigma around mental illness slowly grows and exploits the marginalization of "crazy" people. the characters Pat and Tiffany do not receive what they consider useful for their illness and regain their sanity through non-prescribed activities. Throughout the film we see Pat refusing to take her medication as it affects her negatively, "they make me foggy, they make me.