10 pop culture characters who accurately depict mental health issues
Doom Patrol — Ep. 111 — “Frances Patrol”– Photo Credit: Tina Rowden / 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Jane Morris
Whether you’re referencing her various Doom Patrol comic spotlights or the DC Universe series, Jane Morris’ ongoing arc is about reclaiming her identities for herself, and only for herself. Many shows and movies use external factors as a driving force for their characters to confront their mental health. No other character or weird villainous hostage situation inspires Jane to cope with her D.I.D. and PTSD. It’s just her wanting to help herself for herself.
Sure, some of us need a family member or friend to finish convincing us to schedule our next therapy appointment. Jane is never without support. She has her friends and family, the Doom Patrol. Regardless of her incarnation, Jane has grown to be the biggest advocate of her own mental well-being, and she’s chosen to acknowledge and cope with her traumas for herself, which is just as much of an empowering message as it is realistic.
When so many pop culture productions present mental health issues as clean-cut character arcs with a definite ending, Jane constantly copes with different aspects of her mental health. It’s tiring to recognize that healing can be a never-ending journey. For some of us, that’s our reality. Seeing a superhero who not only fights for her own recovery, but the safety and wellbeing of others, is uplifting enough. But where Jane especially thrives is that she succeeds and fails.
While it might seem nice to see heroes who somehow vanquish their mental health conditions after a few therapy sessions, that just isn’t accurate. It’s only natural and healthy that we would need to periodically check in with our mental health. Jane reminds us that is perfectly okay to experience a relapse in your mental health if you continue to try and improve your mental health. Whether she’s coping with her traumas, working through grief, processing human emotions, or dealing with especially strenuous situations, Jane’s character growth doesn’t stray from the uncomfortable realism of mental health.