australija - reporting on mental illness

8/6/2019 Australija - Reporting on Mental Illness

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R EPORTING ISSUESIssues to consider when reporting mental illness

Media reporting of mental health and mental illness in Australia is extensive. A mediamonitoring study indicated that over 30,000 media items on mental illness were sourced fromAustralian newspapers, radio and television news over a 12-month period. 1

It is often a challenge for media professionals to report on mental health and mental illness.These are complex issues to convey in a succinct manner with minimal research time whenconsidering the demanding pressures on journalists. It can also be a challenge to source peoplewith a mental illness and their family members for interview because of the potentialconsequences for them to go public about an issue that is still not well understood in thecommunity.

Some issues to consider when reporting on mental health and mental illness are provided below.

Before running a story:

check for consistency with codes of practice that relate to discrimination, privacy, grief

and trauma (see Appendix 1); ensure you have access to the most reliable facts, statistics and other information; consult experts on mental illness and mental health care (see Contacts section or refer to

the website at www.mindframe-media.info).

Privacy

Media guidelines and codes of ethics emphasise the right to privacy. Is it relevant to the

story that the featured person has a mental illness? What are the consequences for their

health, safety and livelihood if you disclose their mental illness? Very often people with a

mental illness do not inform employers, colleagues, neighbours and friends of their

condition for fear of isolation, loss of employment and persecution from others. Should a persons mental illness be mentioned in the headline or lead? Who are your sources? Consider whether the information you have received, from a

neighbour for example, is accurate? Has an assumption been made about someones

mental health status? Does the story exaggerate a persons illness or the affect mental illness has on their

behaviour?


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Language and stereotypes

Most people working in the media are conscious about using appropriate language. While

improvements have been made, some negative terms such as mental patient, nutter,

lunatic, psycho, schizo and mental institution are still in use. This languagestigmatises mental illness and perpetuates discrimination.

Have you provided balance to the story? Remember that people with a mental illness are

not inherently violent, unable to work, unpredictable, untrustworthy, weak or unable to

get well. Mental illness is not a life sentence and most people are able to recover with treatment and support. Referring to someone with a mental illness as a victim, suffering with or afflicted by

a mental illness is outdated. Avoid language that implies people are their mental illness.

For example, a person is not a schizophrenic, they have a diagnosis of, currently

experience, or are being treated for schizophrenia. The term mental illness covers a wide range of symptoms, conditions, and effects on

peoples lives. Be careful not to imply that all mental illnesses are the same. Make sure medical terms are used correctly. A person who is down or unhappy is not the

same as someone experiencing clinical depression. Using psychiatric and medical terminology out of context is inaccurate, such as

psychotic dog or schizophrenic city. Avoid using colloquialisms in place of accurate terminology for treatments of mental

illness, such as happy pills for antidepressants and shrinks to refer to psychiatrists or psychologists. Treatment of mental illness is challenging for people and casual language

can undermine peoples willingness to seek or continue accessing it. Be aware of differences in language and communication style for Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Aboriginal communities refer to mental health and illness as related to their social and

emotional wellbeing. Remember that no one person can speak for all Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander people. A story would benefit by canvassing both expert comment and the opinions of the local

community. Terms used for a range of mental illnesses and their treatments may not exist or translate

easily when interviewing people from a culturally and linguistically diverse population.

Interviewing a person with a past or current mental illness


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Interviewing a person with a past or current mental illness requires particular sensitivity anddiscretion. While many people who have, or have had, a mental illness are happy to speak to themedia, talking

publicly about a deeply personal issue can be difficult and distressing. You are likely to get a better interview if you are able to help them be more at ease. Follow media codes of conduct on

appropriateinterviewing.

Is the person genuinely prepared to be interviewed? Negotiating the location where the

interview takes place and whether the person wants to have a friend or associate present

may help them to be more comfortable. An advocacy organisation may also be able to

help to source and support the person through the interview process. Do not identify the person by name in the story unless they have given permission.

Identifying the individual and their mental disorder could be detrimental if they do not

wish to disclose their illness. Seek agreement beforehand on the use of photos and video, and whether the person will

be identified. It is likely to help the person to speak about their personal experience if they have had a

chance to consider the questions before the interview. Most people are anxious before an

interview with the media. Wherever possible, use the persons own words to represent their experiences. If the

person has a different view of their illness to family or doctors, try to include the persons

understanding of their experience. If material is likely to be shared with other media outlets, let the interviewees know so

they are not taken by surprise when their story appears in other contexts. Let the person know about likely editing processes your story goes through before it is

published or broadcast. If you intend to emphasise a particular angle, tell the person.

Include helpline numbers

Encourage people to seek help by adding information about available supports, including

helpline numbers, local services and websites. Ensure that the helpline, service or website you refer to is relevant to the story. If the

story about a specific illness (e.g. depression) or a specific population group (e.g. young

people) choose information that is most relevant. Refer to the Contacts section or the

Mindframe website for advice. If adding a helpline or service specifically, try to let them know when the story is run so

they can better respond to a spike in calls generated by your report.


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Seek expert advice

New information about mental disorders, symptoms, and treatments is becoming available all thetime. Media reports on mental illness should be based on the most reliable information fromrecommended

experts (see the Contacts section).

Photo selection and placement

Ensure the person understands how a photo or footage will be used. Check they are prepared to be identified in the story this way.

The impact of media reporting:

Negative reporting of mental illness appears to influence community attitudes. The presentation of negative images of mental illness in both fiction and non-fiction

media results in the development of more negative and inaccurate beliefs about mental

illness. The presentation of positive images does not appear to balance negative media portrayals.

For more on the evidence on the impact of media reporting, see Section 1.

The 2006-2007 Media Monitoring Study 2 found that:

5.8% of items on mental illness used language that was negative or outdated; 10.6% of items stigmatized mental illness; 16.2% of items labelled the person by his or her diagnosis rather than focusing on the

person first; 6.8 % of headlines were highly dramatic or sensationalised; nearly one third of stories

disclosed that a particular person had a mental illness and identified the person by name; only 19.8% of stories provided information on help services available.

See Section 2 for more detail.

Media professionals can help improve understanding and community attitudes towardsmental illness by:

providing accurate information about mental illness and specific mental disorders; encouraging people in distress to seek help, for instance by providing helpline numbers;


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breaking down myths about mental illness and allowing people who have experienced

mental illness to tell their own stories.


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M EDIA R EPORTING OF M ENTAL ILLNESS K EY RESEARCH OUTCOMES F R O M 2002 T O 2006:

A comprehensive review of the international literature related to media reporting of mentalhealth and illness was conducted in 2001 1. Since that time there has been continued internationalinterest in the area. The following is a brief summary of key research outcomes from 2002 to2006.

Respondents to a South African survey of people affected by schizophrenia felt a high degreeof stigmatisation and agreed they felt discriminated against. Those with higher qualifications

felt the media had a negative influence on perceptions of mental illness. 2

A study in the UK 3 looking at newspaper representations of mental illness discussedframing as a way that health movements can challenge dominant conceptions and thus

policies to change a phenomenon from a personal issues to a public issue.

A German study found students who read a negative article about mental illness expressedmore negative attitudes toward people with mental illness. Also the researchers noted a trendtoward an increased desire for social distance among students with a higher TV consumption.4

Another German study investigated the relationship between media consumption and desiredsocial distance towards people with a mental illness using a representative populationsample. The researchers found that stories of people living well with mental disorders should

become more commonplace in media reports as they can have positive effects on readersattitudes towards that population. 5

Some New Zealand researchers reviewed newspaper items over a period of time and foundonly 5 out of 600 covering mental illness or mental health were written in the first person or from a journalists interview with somebody living with mental illness. The authors arguedthat these speakers offered qualitatively different depictions of mental illness in newspapersand the journalists presented them as credible sources. 6

A study by well-known Australian researchers reviewed a number of media items fromdifferent media over a 12-month period. Findings indicated that depression is portrayed in theAustralian media more frequently than other forms of mental illness. 7


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Another review in this area provides substantial information about the extent andcharacteristics of media portrayal of mental health/illness in the Australian non-fiction media.In particular this study found that media reporting of mental health/illness was extensive,generally of good quality and focused less on themes of crime and violence than the authorsexpected. The authors did note, however, that there were opportunities for improvement insome media reporting. 8

1 Francis, C., Pirkis, J., Dunt, D. and Blood, R.W. (2001). Mental Health and Illness in theMedia: A Review of the Literature, Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing,Canberra.

2 Botha, UA, Koen, L & Niehaus, DJH (2006). Perceptions of a South African schizophrenia population with regards to community attitudes towards their illness, Social Psychology and

Psychiatric Epidemiology, 41, 619-623.3 Paterson, B. (2006). Newspaper representations of mental illness and the impact of the reportingof events on social policy: the framing of Isabel Schwarz and Jonathan Zito, Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 13, 294-300.

4 Dietrich, S, Heider, D, Matschinger, H, Angermeyer, MC (2006). Influence of newspaper reporting on adolescents attitudes toward people with mental illness, Social Psychology andPsychiatric Epidemiology, 41, 318-322.

5 Angermeyer, MC, Dietrich, S, Pott, D & Matschinger, H (2005). Media consumption and desirefor social distance towards people with schizophrenia, European Psychiatry, 20, 246-250.

6 Nairn, RG & Coverdale, JH (2005). People never see us living well: an appraisal of the personalstories about mental illness in prospective print media sample, Australian and New Zealand

Journal of Psychiatry, 39, 281-287.

7 Francis, C, Pirkis, J, Blood, RW, Dunt, D, Borley, B & Stewart, A (2005). Portrayal of Depression and other mental illnesses in Australian nonfiction media, Journal of CommunityPsychology, 33, (3), 283-297.

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Francis, c, Pirkis, J, Blood, RW, Dunt, D, Burgess, P, Morley, B, Stewart, A & Putnis, P (2004).The portrayal of mental health and illness in Australian non-fiction media, Australian and New

Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 38, 541-546.

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