Images of Mental Illness in the Media: Identifying Gaps in the Research

Abstract

This article summarizes research published over the past decade and identifies areas where future research is needed to increase our knowledge of the media's role in fostering or reducing mental illness stigma. The following questions are addressed: (1) How is mental illness portrayed by the media? (2) How do media images of mental illness impact individuals' knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors with regard to mental illness? (3) How can the media be used to reduce mental illness stigma? The review reveals a lack of recent research on the U.S. media and a need for precision in how mental illness and the media are defined for study. Research is needed that involves a broader range of media channels as well as more distinctions among different types of content within channels and a more detailed analysis of media images themselves. The largest gap to be addressed is the link between exposure to media images and mental illness stigma. Use of the media as a tool for change requires a better understanding of what messages are conveyed, how they are developed, and what role media content producers play in creating these messages.

Medical student attitudes to mental health and psychiatry: the use of a patient-experience short film

“…Mental illness is often linked with violence, and people with mental illness are often portrayed as dangerous, criminal, evil, or very disabled and unable to live normal, fulfilled lives. (19) Out of all of the statements on the MICA scale, the largest change seen in student attitudes was seen for the item "The public does not need to be protected from people with a severe mental illness", with only 35.6% of students agreeing with this statement prior to watching the film, but 61.7% of students agreeing with this statement after watching the short film. This provides some support for the effectiveness of this particular film in challenging some of the more negative stereotypes that continue to surround mental illness.…”

Change in newspaper coverage of schizophrenia in Japan over 20-year period

“…Unfortunately, databases of these publications were not available. Second, although investigation of newspaper coverage is a common strategy to survey public opinion and structural stigma (Stout et al, 2004), it was not possible to directly investigate the causal relationship between newspaper coverage and renaming of schizophrenia. Third, the nature of this method indicates that it was not possible to search euphemistic expressions that link mental illness and danger.…”

“…Furthermore, newspaper coverage of schizophrenia has been shown to be disproportionately negative compared with other psychiatric conditions in previous studies in the United Kingdom (Goulden et al, 2011;Thornicroft et al, 2013), Belgium (Thys et al, 2013), Czech Republic, Croatia, and Slovakia (Nawkova et al, 2012). Media coverage and the attitudes of the general public toward mental illness influence each other (Goulden et al, 2011;Klin and Lemish, 2008;Stout et al, 2004). Among some media sources, newspaper coverage was used to investigate the effect of anti-stigma campaigns in some countries Whitley and Berry, 2013).…”

“…Based on previous studies that found articles linking schizophrenia and danger were the most stigmatizing (Stout et al, 2004), and the intent of the NFFM and JSPN that renaming schizophrenia would reverse the increase in stigma based on this stereotype, we hypothesised that increasing stigma against people with schizophrenia had been mitigated after renaming.…”

Media portrayal of psychosis in Sinhalese newspapers over two points (1986 and 2011) in time

“…Many authors have researched the depiction of mental illness by the media and the manner in which it contributes to stigma towards mental illness. Recent research on mental illness and the media indicates that research interest in this area, particularly with regards to newspaper reporting, is growing (4). While most of these studies considered mental illness in general (2)(3)(4), some studies have focused on specific illnesses such as schizophrenia and psychosis (5,6).…”