On October 13, 2023, the White House hosted a Roundtable on Mental Health in the Entertainment Industry in collaboration with On Our Sleeves: The Movement for Children’s Mental Health, The Jed Foundation, the Hollywood Committee, the Juvenile Welfare Board, and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s Mental Health Storytelling Coalition. APA has been an active participant in the Mental Health Storytelling coalition since 2020. APA members Ariana Hoet, PhD, the executive clinical director of On Our Sleeves, and Eric Butter, PhD, chief of psychology and director of behavioral health at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, represented psychology at the event. Leaders from the entertainment industry, youth mental health experts, and key members of the Biden administration discussed ways to decrease stigma, build awareness, support mental health and wellness, and promote access to mental health resources through film and television.
Participants discussed the cultural shifts that leaders in the entertainment industry could implement by partnering with children’s mental health experts. Hollywood writers and actors talked about opportunities for proactive mental health storylines and creating characters that audiences can relate to. They also sought guidance from Hoet and Butter on how to depict mental health struggles for these characters in ways that feel authentic and resonate with viewers.
“As the only psychologists in the room, it was powerful for Dr. Hoet and I to be recognized as the go-to experts by so many talented writers and actors committed to telling compelling stories that portray accurate information about children’s mental health,” said Butter. “Every scene in a film or TV series is an opportunity to change the narrative surrounding children’s mental health and to grow the confidence of adults to support the mental health of children.”
Participants also discussed best practices from previous efforts to model positive behavior through entertainment, how to sensitively navigate depictions of those experiencing mental health challenges, and the role of social media in children’s mental health. More specifically, they talked about how depictions of social media use could be improved, such as by showing parents negotiating screen time limits with their children, showing children talking about what they see or read on social media with their parents, and writing storylines on how social media can be a healthy source of social support for youth.
Butter pointed out that the Biden administration has launched several initiatives to strengthen the mental health workforce to help meet the nation’s mental health needs, but that society also needs to think differently about mental health, and that the entertainment industry can play a key role. “With more than half of all lifetime mental illnesses emerging before age 14, helping families, teachers, coaches, and other adults support the mental health of the children in their lives every day requires a larger cultural shift,” he said. “President Biden’s team gave us that charge during this event. We now intend to work directly with writers in Hollywood. I’m excited about this initiative as a leap forward in our collective goals to recognize mental health as a population health priority and to position psychologists and our colleagues at the forefront of leading this effort.”
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