Since it premiered in 2019, HBO’s drama Euphoria has been a hot-button topic for its gritty subject matter, mature content, and explicit nature. But what does this have to do with mental health?
Euphoria’s Ties to Mental Illness
Euphoria’s main character, Rue (played by Zendaya) is alluded to as suffering from bipolar disorder, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Throughout the show, the audience hears Rue’s thoughts, putting us closer to the character’s lived experience. This gives a front-row seat to her struggle as she continues to use drugs to escape her symptoms – including when she overdoses.
For as long as she can remember, Rue has suffered from mental turmoil and emotional chaos, and has used some kind of substance to cope. She has an entire background of trauma she wasn’t equipped to cope with and is simply doing the best she can every day. This is a story a lot of people can relate to.
An All-Too-Familiar Struggle
What makes Euphoria such an engaging story is that Rue’s struggles aren’t all that uncommon. The drive to self-medicate with dangerous substances to numb her mental illness symptoms is a relatively common practice.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 8 million U.S. adults today are battling co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. About half of individuals who experience a substance use disorder will also experience a co-occurring mental disorder – often anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, or schizophrenia.
Grounded in Truth
There’s a good reason why the show rings true for a lot of people. Sam Levinson, the show creator, struggled with drug addiction, anxiety, and depression himself as a teenager. He uses the show to give a voice to those struggles.
The fact that the show is coming from someone who knows those struggles firsthand will be encouraging for many. As Levinson put it (speaking about Zendaya’s character), “What I really wanted to get at the core of is the pain and the same about what you’re doing and your inability to get clean despite the havoc and destruction you’re wreaking around you.”
Awareness or Sensationalization?
One looming question is whether the show raises awareness for mental illness or whether it exoticizes and makes light of these issues. Some people have raised concerns that the show sends teenagers the message that this behavior is acceptable or even glamorous.
That decision is ultimately up to its viewers. But it’s undeniable that for people struggling with substance abuse and mental illness, seeing their struggles portrayed in media can be invaluable for making them feel less isolated.
The Value of Representation
For people with undiagnosed mental illnesses, seeing their unidentified symptoms on-screen can help them realize when it’s time to seek help. This can help prevent their mental health from getting worse and ultimately put them on the path to healing. In this way, accurate media portrayals of mental health can certainly be helpful.
Since it premiered in 2019, HBO’s drama Euphoria has been a hot-button topic for its gritty subject matter, mature content, and explicit nature. But what does this have to do with mental health?
