Reporting Issues

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 when considering the demanding pressures on journalists. It can also be a challenge to source people with a mental illness and their family members for interview because of the potential consequences for them to ‘go public’ about an issue that is still not well understood in the community.

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 person’s 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 someone’s mental health status? 
• Does the story exaggerate a person’s illness or the affect mental illness has on their behaviour?

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 language stigmatises 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 people’s 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 people’s 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
 

Interviewing a person with a past or current mental illness requires particular sensitivity and discretion. While many people who have, or have had, a mental illness are happy to speak to the media, 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 appropriate
interviewing.

• 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 person’s own words to represent their experiences. If the person has a different view of their illness to family or doctors, try to include the person’s 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.

Seek expert advice

New information about mental disorders, symptoms, and treatments is becoming available all the time. Media reports on mental illness should be based on the most reliable information from recommended
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 Study² 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 towards mental 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;
• breaking down myths about mental illness and allowing people who have experienced mental illness to tell their own stories.

References:

1 Pirkis, J., Blood, W.R. et al., (2008) op cit
2 Ibid