Arthur Fleck and the Music In His Head

Criminally Insane or Mental Health Issues?


In preparation for watching the second Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in it, we watched the first one, simply titled “Joker” (2019). This movie highlights the story of one man who loses temporary coverage of mental health medication, social services, and job security because of budget cuts and mental health issues. The movie does nothing to excuse his behavior. It seeks to shed light on a society already on the brink of meltdown because of these issues, and the hope of a rich mayor who has lost touch with the reality of most of its citizens by reinforcing the stereotype that the poor are simply “clowns.” 

Even as a person who struggles with many mental health issues, or particularly because I struggle with so many, I found this movie difficult to watch the first time and almost unbearable to watch the second time. I thought it would be interesting in a “Wicked” way, not unbearably realistic and cruel. Cutting funding of social services, and barely seeing them once a month, if that, is not a fantasy world. It’s actually happening. And a lot of people think “those people” just need to be pushed to the side for the betterment of society. They do not need to be pushed to the side. I do not need to be pushed to the side. Some mental health issues are hereditary. A child learning to take care of his mother or father who cannot emotionally regulate themselves is not uncommon. They have to grow up and either “be the adult” or learn to people please and not rock the boat. They must take abuse and learn how to cope one way or another or else deal with other forms of emotional immaturity.

I’m not saying I’ve risen above it all. I learned today that I am far from emotionally mature! After watching videos and finally wondering why I always point the finger at other people, I pointed it at myself. I googled what it takes to be emotionally mature, and what it came up with, I am FAR from. According to the AI overview, key skills to develop emotional maturity include empathy (check), healthy coping mechanisms (practicing), accepting responsibility (too much on that one), self-reflection and mindfulness (learning through my blog and therapy). Those are the ones that I’m doing okay at. The ones I really have to work at include openness to feedback (without getting my feelings hurt and withdrawing), communication skills, resilience, and self-compassion. I’m mulling making this a series and deep diving into each of these to see if I can learn about them more.

The main point I wanted to make with this post is that we need to stop stigmatizing mental health. The more it’s a bad thing or an expensive thing or something difficult to find available openings for, the more difficult all of society will be. The truth is we need more psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, etc. getting educated and more education in fields that deal with clients with mental health issues, especially law enforcement! I know their jobs are already tough physically, emotionally, and mentally. I have no idea how to tell between criminally insane and mental health issues. Perhaps there is just a fine line. Perhaps the line is we didn’t reach them in time like the case with Arthur Fleck (again, not excusing his actions, but socially, we should have done a lot better). There needs to be a lot more research into this. But not all mental health cases are criminal cases. But Fox News and other news stations would have you believe that poverty=crime. Perhaps if we didn’t fail those who were poor, they wouldn’t turn to crime.

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