Updated October 27, 2026. A previous version included an image and wording that some readers found hurtful. We have removed that content and reviewed the article to better reflect our commitment to respectful language.
The trick is to enjoy the holiday while treating others with respect.
Halloween is a time for imagination, transformation, and whimsy. Adults and children alike plan their outfits, neighbours decorate their porches, and for one evening everyone can become someone else.
Most of it is harmless fun, but every October, some costumes and haunted attractions use mental illness as the source of the scare. Hospital gowns, restraints, and psychiatric wards are used as props, alongside other imagery associated with mental illness and treatment. For people living with a serious and persistent mental illness, and for the who love them, that can be hurtful to see.
Where The Fear Comes From
Most of us learn what mental illness “looks like” from entertainment, not from real life.
Unfortunately, those portrayals are often inaccurate. A 2012 study examining 41 films featuring characters with schizophrenia found that most depicted those characters as violent or dangerous, even though these stereotypes do not reflect the reality of most people living with the illness. When these images are repeated over and over, they can shape public attitudes and reinforce fear, and promote misunderstanding, and stigma.
Costumes portraying patients with mental illness send the same message. In a 2019 experiment, people who were shown a Halloween costume that caricatured a psychiatric patient reported more negative intentions and behaviours towards people with schizophrenia when compared to people who were shown an unrelated costume. Even a quick look made a difference.
Harmful portrayals of mental illness during Halloween and in the media, can contribute to ongoing prejudice and discrimination against people with severe and persistent mental illness.
Why It Matters To Families
Stigma has real consequences and can make people less likely to seek help for mental health concerns. These effects extend to families too, In one study of parents and spouses, half reported hiding a relative’s psychiatric hospitalization from others, at least to some degree.
Psychosis can be a frightening and difficult experience, especially for the person living through it and for the people who love them. It deserves care, compassion, and understanding, not a place in a haunted house.
People with lived experience of psychosis and their families may not feel the same way about Halloween, and they don’t have to. No one should have to see their own illness, or their loved one’s illness turned into a spectacle or sold as a scare.
How To Celebrate With Compassion
We can still celebrate the strange, the spooky, and the imaginative — without reinforcing stereotypes. Here’s what that can look like:
- Choose costumes and decorations respectfully by avoiding any that imitate or caricature people with mental illness or treatment. These may include hospital gowns, hospital beds, restraints, straightjackets, or other imagery as props, decorations or clothing.
- Keep diagnoses out of the joke. Use respectful language and avoid using stigmatizing terms like “psycho” or “crazy”.
- Avoid visiting any venues using psychiatric hospital themes such as haunted houses.
- Speak up with kindness. Many people may not have considered who these costumes or decorations affect or the implications of the associated stigma.
- Listen and support people with lived experience. Their perspectives can help us create imaginative, inclusive and respectful celebrations.
If Your Family Needs Support
You do not have to do this alone. BCSS supports families across BC.
- Join a family support group
- Find support near you
- Read our “Understanding Schizophrenia and Psychosis Guide”