How soaps can help start conversations about mental health
EastEnders icon Phil Mitchell has taken centre stage in a hard-hitting storyline which saw the character attempt to take his own life.
After becoming isolated and withdrawn from his family and friends, Phil, played by Steve McFadden, tried to hide his depression. But in the last few weeks viewers saw his symptoms worsen and he began to suffer psychotic episodes and hallucinations.
Eventually – in an episode shown as part of the show’s 40th anniversary last month – Phil reached the point where he believed his life was no longer worth living. Luckily, Phil’s friends Linda and Nigel, and brother Grant, stepped in and got him the help he needed.
EastEnders worked closely with Samaritans, Rethink Mental Illness, the Campaign Against Living Miserably, and Mind to ensure Phil’s story is portrayed as accurately and as sensitively as possible.
"The EastEnders team has done a great job capturing the reality of a mental health crisis,” said Lorna Fraser, Head of Samaritans' Media Advice Service.
“The nature of a soap makes it possible to present sensitive topics in uniquely engaging ways through characters audiences can relate to. We know men often struggle to open up and share how they are feeling, so it's good to show the importance of checking in and lending a listening ear in this way."
Soaps often feature mental health storylines and are recognised for playing an important role in reducing stigma and encouraging conversations. Sharing relatable storylines that raise awareness of important issues such as self-harm, depression, eating disorders, addiction, and grief.
In 2018 Coronation Street character Aidan Connor took his own life. The soap was widely praised for the way it approached Aidan’s unexpected suicide. His death highlighted how many men suffer in silence when struggling with their mental health.
More recently, Emmerdale’s Paddy Dingle contemplated suicide. Viewers saw Paddy take part in talking therapy and the show aired an all-male episode to encourage men to open up about their feelings.
Back in EastEnders, both Jean and Stacey Slater are managing bipolar disorder. Bianca Jackson, who recently began suffering from panic attacks, has been diagnosed with depression, while Denise Fox experienced psychosis. Kim Fox developed anxiety after a car accident and was encouraged to attend therapy by teenager Amy Mitchell, who self-harmed and went to both one-to-one and family therapy sessions. These storylines not only emphasised the importance of asking for help but also shared coping techniques, such as breathing exercises and tapping.
These storylines are undoubtedly entertaining, but they also have a positive effect on viewers. In 2016, EastEnders’ Stacey Slater experienced postpartum psychosis after the birth of her second child, Arthur. A study by a medical student working with charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis found the awareness raised by the storyline into the condition was “highly valuable”.
Soaps are fictional, but the struggles they show can be very real and reflect some of the circumstances, feelings, and experiences of people we support at Fortis. Hopefully, the soaps will keep telling stories that spark important conversations and remind people that support, like that provided by Fortis, is always there.
