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Mass Media and Mental Illness: Table of Contents

Prepared by Dara Roth Edney, MSW
Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario
January 2004

Public perceptions of mental illness are shaped by the news and entertainment media. Research confirms that negative images and stereotypes in film, television, advertising, magazines, and newspapers are directly connected to the public’s negative attitudes toward people with mental health issues. Negative media portrayals also have a direct impact on individuals living with mental illness, as well as an impact on government responses to mental health issues.

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Table of Contents

Mass Media and Mental Illness: A Literature Review

• Introduction
• The Mass Media as a Primary Source of Public Information on Mental Illness
• Media Representations of Mental Illness Promote False and Negative Images and Stereotypes
  • Negative Images and Stereotypes in News Media
  • Negative Images and Stereotypes in Entertainment Media
• Commonly Depicted Stereotypes and Images of Mental Illness
  • Violence and Criminality in Entertainment Media
  • Violence and Criminality in News Media
  • Simple-Minded and Childlike Portrayals in Entertainment Media
  • Social Outcast and Drain on Society in Entertainment Media
  • Victim to Victimizer in Entertainment Media
  • Depictions of Practitioners, Treatments, and Facilities
  • Sympathetic but Inaccurate Representations
  • Class Differences in News Media Reporting
  • General Classifications of Mental Illnesses
• Negative Media Portrayals and the Public’s Negative Attitudes
• The Impact of Negative Media Portrayals on People with Mental Illness
• Negative Media Portrayals and Government Responses
• Examples of Positive Portrayals
• Conclusion

References

Appendix A: The Portrayal of Mental Health and Illness in the Media: Table of Key Studies

Appendix B: The Impact of Media Portrayal on Community Attitudes to Mental Illness: Table of Key Studies

Appendix C: Representations of Mental Illness in Film

Appendix D: Representations of Mental Illness in Television

Appendix E: Representations of Mental Illness in Advertising