Mental illness, rather than a purely objective issue, can be somewhat subjective. The mental illness's subjective nature is especially relevant to the news and media that people consume every day. When it comes to events where mental illness is a relevant factor, depending on their presentation in the news, society may respond with compassion or vitriol. In this paper, the news coverage of one such event will be analyzed from multiple perspectives to highlight the subjective nature of mental illness as portrayed in the media. This paper's one particular focus is the police response to mental health crises for individuals of color. The precipitating cause was that of Osaze Osagie, who expressed a desire to harm himself and prompted his family to send the police over for a wellness check (King, 2019). After finding Osagie in possession of the weapon he intended to use to harm himself, the policemen shot and killed him. This incident created an increased focus on how policemen respond to mental health crises for individuals from minority communities (King, 2019). The incident and its aftermath are handled in the news article that will be analyzed in this paper. The analysis will cover the situation, its main actors, and the means through which the news media may have influenced the story. The paper will show that how mental illness is portrayed in the media is often dependent on the perspective from which they tell the story, including the individual's background and history in question.
The situation described in the article describes the circumstances of Osaze Osagie’s death. The 29-year-old man had been a beloved member of his community and his family. However, his life ended with a tragic death at the hands of the police, who intended to perform a wellness check on him (King, 2019). On the day of the incident, his family had been rightfully concerned about the victim’s mental health. Osagie had been to the hospital several times recently, with at least six hospitalizations occurring in recent years. His mental health history included autism, extreme anxiety, Asperger’s syndrome, and paranoid schizophrenia (King, 2019). While Osagie was a well-loved and kind individual remembered well by his family and friends, he often struggled to function in society.
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Despite the struggles he had faced with living independently, Osagie had finally made some progress. In December, before the incident, he had transitioned to living in his own apartment after living in a community residential center for a long time (King, 2019). This transitional period had been fraught with several issues as he adjusted to his new life, including trouble with taking the medication regularly and attending support meetings (King, 2019). His various troubles culminated in him texting his family that he would harm himself, which led to their calling 911.
According to police reports, Osagie was holding a knife when the police officers arrived. When he approached the police officers after they arrived, he did not put the knife down (King, 2019). He was summarily tasered, and the police officers claimed that this did not affect him. Thus, they shot and killed him (King, 2019). Osagie’s family filed a lawsuit against the police department for their abandonment of protocol when they confronted and killed their son.
There are three key actors – or groups of actors – in the reporting of this incident. The first is the reporter, who is retelling the story from a community member more than a week after the incident. Due to their unique position as an individual with access to many different sources, and the point of the timeline during which they report the incident – the aftermath – the reporter has access to a lot of the information surrounding the incident. The other key actor, in this case, is a group – Osagie’s family. They are the main drivers of the story, as they are the ones who brought attention to the incident and discrepancies in the way that the police officers handled the situation. They are also the ones agitating to bring the case to the general public's attention to shed light on the difficulties that African American communities often have with responses to mental health crises compared to other ethnic groups in the US (King, 2019). The last set of key actors in the police department, which was involved in the incident, and implicated as its precipitators.
One example of how the news media in this piece may have shaped the reader’s understanding of the story is perspective. Because this article was written after an investigation was carried out and included the statements of Osagie’s family and friends as well as his medical history, the news media involved may have shaped the reader's understanding to be one that is more informed and broad-minded rather than one based on the assumption (King, 2019). For example, if this article were written directly after the incident, the report would most likely read as police officers subduing and killing a man approaching them with intent to harm. However, because the piece occurred after several reports, protests, and follow-ups, it carries the perspective of various points of view. The integration of multiple sources creates a more holistic story, which allows the reader to understand the situation rather than base assumptions on limited information.
From the person with mental illness, Osagie was undergoing a mental health crisis when police officers approached him in his home. Their negative response to the tool with which he was going to self-harm – his knife – most likely intensified the effects of his mental health crisis. While approaching the source of his distress, he was shocked and then shot. On the other hand, from the point of view of Osagie’s family, they called 911 to assure that authorities would stop their son from committing self-harm faster than they could arrive at the location themselves. However, despite making it clear that he was undergoing considerable mental distress at the time, they were given the news that the police had responded to his distressed state with violence.
The main similarity in these perspectives that shaped what happened lies in Osagie’s mental distress. Due to Osagie’s mental distress, he perceived approaching strangers with hostility. Likewise, the fact that Osagie’s family was aware of his mental distress forced them to call the authorities so that he could get help. Unfortunately, the responding officers treated his distress as hostility. A difference in perspective that shaped what happened was an understanding of mental history. Since Osagie’s family was aware of his condition, they treated his distress as a mental health crisis. However, the officers' perspective was not one of Osagie as a mentally distressed individual, creating the circumstances leading to his death.
An individual's perception as a dangerous threat versus a mentally ill individual is based on several factors, including knowledge or understanding of their history. When viewed holistically, Osagie was an individual working towards becoming a functioning member of society and was having trouble with his transition. However, when viewed through the lens of the police officers, he was a potential criminal. Additionally, they maintained a subjective opinion of Osagie despite being informed that they were supposed to perform a “wellness check” for a mentally distressed individual shows that mental illness – and one’s reaction to it – can truly be a subjective issue.
Reference
King, Shaun. 2019. “If You Are Black and in a Mental Health Crisis, 911 Can Be a Death Sentence”. The Intercept , September 29. Retrieved February 22, 2021. (https://theintercept.com/2019/09/29/police-shootings-mental-health/)
