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When TV shows like 'This is Us' hit on mental health realities: Annabeth Suchy (Opinion)

Sun Messenger - 6/5/2017

MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Like many people this fall, my family fell in love with NBC-TV's new show "This is Us." The adventures of this outrageous but still believable family touched our hearts. I enjoyed the cute relationships and unexpected plot twists, but the moment I truly fell in love with the show was not until further into the season. In an episode, the character Randall Pearson suffers from a stress-induced panic attack.

It had been revealed that Randall is quite a perfectionist, and the stress from family and work issues was just too much to handle. By the end of the episode, I had tears welling up in my eyes. I related to Randall's situation, and in that moment, I had been Randall.

I have high expectations for myself but sometimes those expectations get in the way. It's like a never-ending argument inside my head. One side is constantly reminding me that I do not need to be perfect, while the other side is a constant repeat of "but what if I do?" Eventually, the argument gets so loud it drowns everything else out.

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Anyone who has experienced a panic attack can probably agree with me when I say it's one of the worst feelings in the world. You feel like you're stuck in the middle of a hurricane. Everything is whipping past so quickly you can't keep up. You just shut down. Sometimes there's crying, sometimes you just stare at a wall for a long time, sometimes it's both.

Seeing something that I personally relate to on a successful TV show was touching. I had always loved being able to relate to fictional characters, but this took it to a whole new level. Here was a character who faced struggles that actually matched mine. No rebellion to overthrow a repressive government, no prophecy to fulfill, just someone trying to get through life without feeling like a failure.

Some people question the motives behind the number of shows that show characters with mental health issues. Skeptics could argue networks are promoting these types of characters for the ratings. The more people relate to characters, the more people watch the show. I can believe that money comes into play at some point, but it's definitely not a driving force.

A few weeks ago, I read an article about a person whose autistic little brother saw the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie. The little brother became amazed with the character named Drax simply because, like the little boy, he can't comprehend metaphors. Who knows if Marvel actually meant for Drax to fall on the autism spectrum but the important thing is that the little boy saw himself in a superhero. He felt important and validated.

Schools and parents alike became worried about possible harm to kids from the release of Netflix's hit "13 Reasons Why." But isn't that a good thing? The show brought difficult issues, including depression and suicide, into the public mind. People take warning signs and threats seriously. Our world is facing outrageously high numbers of teenagers who self-harm, are depressed, or attempt suicide. You would think we wouldn't need a TV show to make us realize it. But we did.

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Sure. There will always be those people who don't appreciate the representation of mental health in entertainment, but I'm sure there are plenty of "reality" shows to keep them occupied.

This is the world we live in. It's a world where people's mental health is being taken seriously, and that means including it in popular entertainment. The reality is that people don't want to feel isolated and that if they see someone, even a fictional someone, who is going through the same conflicts, they won't feel alone. Loneliness is a suffocating force, and some people need motivation to breathe.

Annabeth Suchy, an aspiring English teacher, will be a senior at Mayfield High School this fall.

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