Misconceptions of Mental Illness
caused by the media
Background
The media has a huge impact on people when it comes to providing general ‘information’. But to be more specific, research has shown that many people get their information about mental illness from the mass media (Wahl, 2004).
The media's portrayal of mental illness
What you need to know.
In many cases, mass media causes many misconceptions and misinterpretations about people with mental illness. There have been cases when reporters from the news covered a story about a person committing a crime and then finishing off by mentioning the fact that they have a mental illness. As a result, it can give the audience a negative view on people with mental illnesses.
Additionally
Media's portrayal of therapists
The portrayal of people with mental illnesses isn’t the only issue. Therapists in mass media are shown to either be crazy, anxious people or simply ineffective (e.g. the film “Monk”). This has a big negative impact on the therapists in the real world. Movies rarely make distinctions between therapists and as a result, therapists are all generalised and seen as ineffective.