The Public Face Of Mental Illness -- Is It A One-sided View?
Main Category: Mental Health News
Article Date: 01 Sep 2006 - 4:00am (PDT)
Both the tabloid and the broadsheet press have consistently given
disproportionate and sensationalized coverage to psychotic illnesses
such as schizophrenia, often linking them to serious crime. This is
producing a very damaging misunderstanding not only of such psychotic
conditions but is also damaging the portrayal of the more common
neurotic illnesses, according to Leicester's Department of Media and
Communication graduate, Katy-Louise Morgan.
Miss Morgan commented: "Despite an era of political
correctness, the mentally ill are among the few remaining groups being
continually subjected to stigmatization. This victimization is
contributing towards prejudice amongst the public."
Psychotic illness is most commonly reported in connection with
violent crimes such as murder, causing newspaper readers to make
unrealistic links between mental illness and violent crimes.
Miss Morgan added, "The misconception is two-fold. Firstly,
schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses are actually among the
least common of all mental illnesses. Secondly, not all schizophrenics
are murderers nor conversely are all murderers schizophrenic." Indeed,
most schizophrenic patients are not prone to violence.
"More disturbing is that an overrepresentation of psychosis
within the British press could mean a greater generalisation of mental
illness especially in the portrayals of neurosis. The worry here is
that if the press maintains this representation of mental illness it
could influence the public's perception and they may begin to see the
two different diagnostic categories interchangeably.
"In their quest to sell more newspapers the British press is
sacrificing an objective portrayal of mental illness. In order for
mental illness to become more accepted and understood, more accurate
and favourable presentations must be offered by the media"
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Contact: Ather Mirza
University of Leicester