Generic Research: Intertextuality - Atypical

                                               Atypical 

• I did some research, mentioned in my questionnaire feedback, to help me incorporate intertextuality into my mental health front cover. I discovered a very exceptional series called Atypical that I think reinforces positivity surrounding mental health and really challenges society’s beliefs that it is a taboo topic or that people suffering from it are odd or abnormal.
• The main character, Sam, is diagnosed with autism. He is eighteen years old and the plot is based around him trying to navigate through being a teenager whilst also having difficulties managing being on the spectrum. Whilst he does encounter a few bullies, he is surrounded by family and friends that help and support him relentlessly. Moreover, some of the bullies later on even become his friends once they get to know him and educate themselves more.
• The show reinforces positivity around mental health through multiple characters and challenges many negative stereotypes surrounding the topic. Such as, the show highlights that having therapy shouldn’t be shameful but really a positive experience that can help guide someone through difficult situations that they may encounter. Sam towards the end of the show, has grown in confidence and with the help of his attentive therapist, he is able to find healthier methods of processing his emotions rather than panicking to the extreme.
• In addition, Sam’s father Doug, later in the show develops to have panic attacks and having to take medication. Originally, he is embarrassed to take the medicine and mentions he doesn’t want to seem weak or abnormal (like people viewed Doug’s father when he was a child because he too suffered from panic attacks regularly) but after some character development, he learns that sometimes it’s okay to not be okay and starts to get on the mend.
• All in all, this show is extremely uplifting to watch and I think it is an extraordinary example of how important mental health awareness and positivity is in not only in society but the media, which is what in today’s world most often influences the public’s opinions and attitudes. Which from my previous research, it is apparent my target demographic spends the most time on social media.
• For my mental health front cover, I will incorporate some intertextual references to the show through perhaps pictures of penguins (relevant to the show, as Sam is very interested in the North Pole) and a reference to the page they can find an article reviewing Atypical.
• As a bonus, all the references Sam makes to the North Pole are actually also raising awareness of the environmental issues society is facing at the moment, such as global warming and loss of habit for species that live there.
• Although society has gotten better around the topic of mental health, there's still lots to improve and shows like this are helpful.