Decalogue to treat mental health in the media

2024-01-18 10:01:44

News about mental health abounds in the media as it is an increasingly present concern among Spaniards. The way in which this is addressed can contribute to raising awareness, so it is essential to know how to avoid stereotypes, stigmas…

Mental health has become a growing concern for Spaniards. EFE/Jaume Sellart

To establish bases on mental health treatment in the media, the Federation of Autonomous Radio and Television Organizations (FORTA) and the Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health (SEPSM) have prepared a decalogue of recommendations for professionals and journalists.

The president of the SEPSM, Manuel Martín Carrascohas warned that, in Spain, and especially as a result of the Covid19 pandemic, disorders related to mental health are increasingly occurring.

“This increase is not accompanied by a correlative increase in resources (human and healthcare) to treat and address this situation,” says the doctor.

Therefore, the specialist considers the involvement of the public media of social communication is essentialwhich can help lead awareness of these mental health issues and encourage correct use of language.

“The interesting thing is to help our informants do their job well while alleviating this problem using precise language that banishes prejudices and erroneous views about mental health,” he highlights. the president of FORTA, Mariano Caballero.

The decalogue according to the president of FORCE It is more than a code of good conduct, it is an instructive and pedagogical text that helps to better understand mental health and avoid mistakes.

Image provided by La FORTA AND SEPSM.

Recommendations for journalists when addressing mental health

Try to be well informed through serious, reliable and up-to-date psychiatric sources.: Psychiatric disorders have a very heterogeneous nature in terms of importance and severity. Avoid abusive or unproven generalizations. Avoid spreading stereotypes, prejudices and false beliefs.

If it is not essential, remove psychiatric issues from the Time.news of events. Do not prejudge the cause of the event by focusing the information on the mental illness, show all the contextual circumstances. Avoid morbid headlines.

Use correct and non-exclusive language and terminology. Avoid labels, stigmatization, sensational presentations and pejorative terms: (“disturbed”, deranged”, “crazy”…).

It’s not just words that matter. Take care too the suitability and timeliness of the images that you use Do not mix mental health with other types of disabilities or illnesses to illustrate information.

Keep in mind the vulnerability of psychiatric patients, but do not overstate their limitations. It duly highlights the positive aspects of people with mental problems. Respect their variants of thought or behavior.

Respect and protect the private life of patients, their families and friends. Talk about them in the first person (for example, “patients with schizophrenia or depression”) and not in the third person (“schizophrenics” or “depressives”), substantiating their condition will only achieve label and stigmatize the person.

Give good and truthful information about the disorder or disease in question. It gives a voice to specialists, but also to those affected and their loved ones. Support the recovery of patients and the fight for their rights. Avoid a pitiful vision that arouses compassion or paternalism.

Avoid the metaphorical use of mental illnesses to refer to current events (for example, the “schizophrenic” or “insane” policies of this or that party, etc.). By the way: avoid biased political use of psychiatry or mental health (as far as is known, it has been of little use).

Report responsibly when you have to do it about suicide.

Remember: the association between mental illness and violence against others is false. The risk of violence is more associated with psychopathy. That generated by psychiatric patients is a minority and the reality is quite the opposite: some psychiatric patients self-harm or commit suicide. And many are victims of violence or abuse from third parties.