Rather than advise her patients to avoid certain genres, Gupta instructs them to be aware of their emotions and make mindful choices accordingly. “We need to be realistic and cognisant of our own emotional states because the same show or book is capable of triggering different emotions in different people,” she says.
For Descely van Dam, who struggles with mental health issues herself, the video game Plague Inc has emerged as an unlikely source of comfort. “In the past, I used to feel scared about losing control in life but when I’m playing the game, I get a rush in being able to control the entire world. I no longer feel the need to be in control of everything but if I’m rewarded to do so, I’ll do it.”
A instrument of change?
While the overt pessimism in most dystopias can trigger anxiety, certain stories spark hope. Many modern narratives, including TV show The Walking Dead focus on nihilism or daily survival with no impetus for change, but classics such as US author Octavia Butler’s Parable series contain utopian elements, such as a resistance movement fighting for a better future.
However that’s not necessarily a given, warns TreaAndrea Russworm. “People need to be aware of what these dystopias are critiquing in order to benefit from them, she says. “Dystopias have clear messages like failed governments or powerful corporations so if you’re not careful, you can end up being passively receptive. We need to constantly relate dystopias with our lived experiences.”
And in order to facilitate real change, it’s important that people are presented with viable alternatives.
“We need more stories that find ways to progress beyond our worst instincts, and offer roadmaps for a way forward,” says Singaporean film and television critic Hidzir Junaini, who also co-hosts a pop culture podcast called Genre Equality. “It’s easy for dystopian narratives to revel in darkness and depression but it’s far harder to actually offer solutions and make things fundamentally better.”
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