Prioritizing one’s mental health is of the utmost importance these days, and while it’s obviously no substitute for professional help, there are arguably benefits to taking 22-minute doses of The Simpsons as needed.
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Well, in 2007, ABC Science in Australia reported that Dr. Hannah Mendelson, a psychiatric registrar with Box Hill Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, and director/cinematographer Gil Poznansk would be appearing at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists congress in order to present their theory that The Simpsons has certain mental-health benefits, even beyond the calming, almost meditative quality to watching the scene where Sideshow Bob keeps stepping on rakes.
Specifically, they stressed that The Simpsons helped to “reduce the stigma sometimes attached to mental health issues.” By simply acknowledging mental illnesses, the pair posited, the show helped to normalize them, which could help viewers, especially children, not feel so “isolated” when faced with mental-health crises later in life. One example they pointed to was the time Homer made himself “homemade Prozac,” even though it was seemingly just melted ice cream in a bowl.
“Even though he’s an idiot, he acknowledges an antidepressant could help,” Poznanski claimed. Another “positive portrayal” they cited was Springfield’s resident psychiatrist Dr. Marvin Monroe. Although it could be argued that the character who dared to combine family therapy with shock treatment may not have been all that positive.
Moreover, they suggested that a multitude of episodes “portray psychiatric institutions and mental-health problems including depression, phobias, alcoholism, stress, self-help groups and ‘nervous breakdowns.’” In fact, the show tackled the subject of depression very early in its run; the sixth episode of Season One, “Moaning Lisa,” found Lisa grappling with an unprecedented malaise.
Dr. Mendelson did acknowledge that, although the show is usually quite “sympathetic” to these issues, sometimes “throwaway lines have been derogatory showing stigma.” These have included unkind references to “mental patients” and characters referring to mental-health facilities as “loony bins.” Homer similarly refers to his stay in the “nut house” — although that episode isn’t currently in circulation for entirely different reasons.
In addition to these findings, online Simpsons fans have shared that the show has helped them to cope with anxiety, And at least one psychiatrist/YouTuber has pointed out that the show did a pretty good job depicting what ADHD symptoms are like in the episode “Brother’s Little Helper.” The same episode has even helped some people to identify their own ADHD symptoms and seek treatment.
All of which is a far cry from back in the early ‘90s when The Simpsons was routinely blamed for negatively impacting the behavior and well-being of America’s youth.
So next time you binge-watch The Simpsons, remember that it’s essentially an act of cartoon self-care.