A growing phenomenon of depression experienced after watching the latest "Avatar: The Way of Water" movie is causing concern among mental health experts around the world. The film is said to cause feelings of sadness, loneliness, frustration and desolation in some viewers, much in the same way as the first film did in 2009.
The sequel, which has generated over $1 billion (€942 million) in global box office sales, again takes viewers to the imaginary world of Pandora, where the Na'vis, an indigenous population, live in harmony with nature.
The discrepancy between the current situation on our planet, with its climate change and the crises related to it, is in stark relation to the communion Cameron’s blue humanoids have with their environment, and as a result is causing feelings of deep sadness among some spectators.
In addition, the humans that come to Pandora, just as those who invaded in the first film, are there to strip Pandora of its natural resources, this time a brain enzyme used for anti-aging remedies which can only be found in the whale-like tulkuns that inhabit the planet’s seas. The sometime graphic whaling scenes and the disregard for the life of sentient beings by humans have also had a huge impact of some viewers, as they reflect our own behaviour towards many species on earth.
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Some have even gone on Avatar fan forums to discuss their emotions with many expressing feelings of depression, some of wanting to be more like the Na'vi and even some who admit to having suicidal thoughts after watching the film.
Some 10 to 15% of members of online communities dedicated to the films have expressed similar feelings, according to a recent report in Variety magazine. It has led to experts coining the term "Post Avatar depression syndrome" or "PADS" to describe the symptoms.
"Virtual life is not real life and it never will be, but this is the pinnacle of what we can build in a virtual presentation so far,” an American psychiatrist, Dr. Stephan Quentzel, explained to CNN. “It took the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as utopian as on screen. It makes real life more imperfect."
Experts advise those with negative feelings after watching the film to go out and experience nature, or take action to defend the environment and inspire others to do the same.
For those with more seriously negative reactions to the film, it is advised to talk to a family member of contact a mental health expert or helpline such as the CHS Helpline in Belgium on 02 648 40 14. For those having suicidal thoughts, the nationwide suicide prevention helpline can be reached by calling 1813.
