Empathy and portrayals of mental illness in Australian visual culture

Abstract

Cinema, television, art (paintings and photos) and storytelling are powerful media. The project "Empathy and portrayals of mental illness in Australian visual culture" investigates how mental illness is portrayed in these media - who tells the story, and how - and whether their portrayal in various visual media leads to empathy, insight and understanding. The wider aim is to explore whether empathy can be promoted by visual portrayals and can help to reduce stigmatisation and discrimination and support social inclusion.