Stigma in the media: Investigating journalism student’s attitudes towards mental illness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn Burns ◽  
Amy Tapsell ◽  
Dana Perlman ◽  
Christopher Patterson ◽  
Lorna Moxham
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
The Media ◽  
Student's Attitudes

Mental Health Ontologies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janna Hastings
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
The Public ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Public Health Challenges ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Way

Mental health presents one of the defining public health challenges of our time. Proponents of different conceptions of what mental illness is wage war for the hearts and minds of patients, practitioners, policy-makers, and the public. Debate and fragmentation around the nature of the entities that feature in the mental health domain divide resources and reduce progress. The way mental health is publicly discussed in the media has tangible effects, in terms of stigma, access to healthcare and resources, and private expectations of recovery. This book explores in detail the sorts of statements that are made about mental health in the media and public reporting of scientific research, grounding them in the wider context of the theoretical frameworks, assumptions and metaphors that they draw from. The author shows how a holistic understanding of the way that different aspects of mental illness are interrelated can be developed from evidence-based interpretation of the latest research findings. She offers some ideas about corrective, integrative approaches to discussing mental health-related matters publicly that may reduce the opposition between conceptualisations while still aiming to reduce stigma, shame and blame. In particular, she emphasises that discourse in the media needs to be anchored to an overview of all the research results across the field and argues that this could be achieved using new technological infrastructures. The author provides an integrative account of what mental health is, together with an improved understanding of the factors driving the persistence of oppositional accounts in the public discourse. The book will be of benefit to researchers, practitioners and students in the domain of mental health.

scholarly journals Suicide prevention: A study of patients' views

2003 ◽  
Vol 182 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Eagles ◽  
Dawn P. Carson ◽  
Annabel Begg ◽  
Simon A. Naji
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Psychiatric Illness ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Psychiatric Services ◽  
Prevention Strategies ◽  
Psychiatric Illnesses ◽  
Service Models ◽  
The Media

BackgroundSuicide prevention strategies are usually formulated without seeking the views of people with psychiatric illnesses.AimsTo establish what helped patients with severe psychiatric illness when they felt suicidal.MethodA semi-structured interview was constructed following transcribed interviews with 12 patients. This was administered to 59 out-patients with serious and enduring mental illness, focusing on factors they found helpful or unhelpful when at their most despairing.ResultsThree-quarters of patients were in contact with psychiatric services when feeling at their lowest, and this contact was generally deemed to be helpful. Social networks were considered just as helpful as psychiatric services by the half of patients who discussed their feelings with friends or relatives. Religious beliefs and affiliations were helpful. Negative influences included the media and the stigma of psychiatric illness.ConclusionsEfforts at suicide prevention might usefully focus on enhancing patients' social networks, increasing the likelihood of early contact with psychiatric services and decreasing the stigma attached to psychiatric illness. Larger studies of patients exposed to different service models would be informative.

Mental Illness and the Media: Part II. Content Analysis of Press Coverage of Mental Health Topics

1986 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 431-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Matas ◽  
N. El-Guebaly ◽  
D. Harper ◽  
M. Green ◽  
A. Peterkin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Public Image ◽  
Press Coverage ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
The Public ◽  
Accuracy Check ◽  
The Media ◽  
Selection Of

The public image of psychiatry has been tarnished in recent years. In order to determine the extent to which press coverage has contributed to negative attitudes towards psychiatry, we conducted a content analysis of a random selection of newspaper articles which appeared over a twenty-year period in two different newspapers. We found that although there had been some minor, cosmetic changes over the years, such as more appropriate headlines and more direct quotes from psychiatric experts, on the whole, content and attitudes had changed very little. An accuracy check of media reporting of forensic cases over a 20-year period revealed that when reporters have access to written material, the accuracy levels are greatly improved.

scholarly journals Stigma 1, Psychiatrists 0

1999 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 430-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Searle
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Public Education ◽  
Royal College ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
The Public ◽  
Education Campaign ◽  
Public Education Campaign ◽  
The Media

I think I can honestly say that I am a seasoned complainer, although I am careful not to attempt to be Mary Whitehouse and I do not assiduously scan the media looking for trouble. My interest in the area of stigmatization started with an episode of the TV drama Boon, where they suddenly had a character become ‘mentally ill’ so that he could conveniently shoot the hero to achieve a cliff-hanging end-of-series episode. Subsequently I specialised in the portrayal of mental illness in dramatic productions, joined the Public Education Campaign divisional network and had some media training. I have been listed as an expert in the portrayal of mental illness for five years but have never been approached for my advice on this area. However, following this year's announcement of the new Royal College of Psychiatrists' campaign ‘Changing Minds: Every Family in the Land’, I obtained all the names and addresses in Deborah Hart and Jill Phillipson's article above and stood ready to ‘do my bit’ for truth and honesty.

Mental Illness, the Media, and the Moral Politics of Mass Violence

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 766-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott W. Duxbury ◽  
Laura C. Frizzell ◽  
Sadé L. Lindsay
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Black Men ◽  
News Media ◽  
White Men ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
Latino Men ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Moral Politics ◽  
The Media

Objectives: We examine how news media portrays the causes of mass shootings for shooters of different races. Specifically, we explore whether White men are disproportionately framed as mentally ill, and what narratives media tend to invoke when covering mass shootings through the lens of mental illness as opposed to other explanatory frames. Methods: The study examines a unique data set of 433 news documents covering 219 mass shootings between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015. It analyzes the data using a mixed methods approach, combining logistic regression with content analysis. Results: Quantitative findings show that Whites and Latinos are more likely to have their crime attributed to mental illness than Blacks. Qualitative findings show that rhetoric within these discussions frame White men as sympathetic characters, while Black and Latino men are treated as perpetually violent threats to the public. Conclusions: Results suggest that there is racial variability in how the media assign blame to mass shooters. While Black men and Latinos are cast as violently inclined, White men are treated as victims or sympathetic characters. Results also indicate that there are noteworthy differences in how blame is assigned to Black men and Latinos.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Erickson-Schroth ◽  
Antonia Barba
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Barriers To Treatment ◽  
Clinical Issues ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Media ◽  
And Gender

Although discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity is more prevalent in the media now than ever before, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) population continues to encounter stigma, disproportionately high rates of trauma, and a resulting increased risk for developing mental illness. These factors, together with a conflicted history with the field of psychiatry, can create barriers to treatment that require practitioners to be active in their approach to providing LGBTQ-inclusive care. This chapter uses case examples to illustrate the range of psychosocial and clinical issues experienced by this population and suggests approaches for improving clinical care. It also discusses strategies for creating safe and LGBTQ-affirming environments.

scholarly journals Undergraduate nursing and midwifery student's attitudes to mental illness

Nursing Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1118-1128
Author(s):  
Angela Hawthorne ◽  
Ross Fagan ◽  
Elspeth Leaver ◽  
Jessica Baxter ◽  
Pamela Logan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Undergraduate Nursing ◽  
Student's Attitudes

Male secondary school student's attitudes towards using mental health services

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Burke ◽  
Robert Kerr ◽  
Patrick McKeon
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Barriers To Access ◽  
Student's Attitudes ◽  
Willingness To Use

AbstractObjectives: The rate of suicide among young men is rising. However, young men are reluctant to use mental health services. In this study we explored young men's attitudes towards mental illness and mental health services, as well as their willingness to use these services.Methods: Four focus groups were conducted in two Dublin schools. A total of 18 students participated in the study.Results: Students held negative views towards mental health services, particularly in respect to psychiatric hospitals and medication. Students were not well informed about whom to contact if they had depression and were very conscious about the stigma of going to see a ‘professional’. Many students did not recognise depression as being a mental illness and could not differentiate between depression and feeling sad.Conclusions: This study shows that a lack of knowledge and understanding about mental illness, combined with prejudice against mental health professionals and fear of stigma, are important barriers to access of mental health services for young men.

A Historical Perspective on the “Mental Illness as Motive” Narrative

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-62
Author(s):  
Cassandra Kearney
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
News Media ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
The Public ◽  
Historical Significance ◽  
Mass Shooting ◽  
The Media

In an effort to better understand the historical significance of the “mental illness as motive” narrative, this essay investigates what has been recognized as the first mass shooting in the modern United States—Howard Unruh’s 1949 mass shoot¬ing in Camden, New Jersey. Given that mass shootings were an unprecedented phenomenon, the news media played an important role in explaining the event. As will be shown, many Americans felt uncertain about how mental illness man¬ifested and who was vulnerable. Given the often undisclosed, albeit perceived threat of schizophrenia, the public needed reassurance that there would be some indicator of insanity. Accordingly, the media used evidence of religious fanaticism and unfavorable physical descriptions of Unruh to cast him as separate, outside, or an “other.” Ultimately, the media’s rhetorical choices differentiated Unruh and attempted to make mental illness easier to identify for an audience afraid of its influence.

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