Media and mental health

Greg Philo

Media and Mental Distress examines the content of media images and shows how conditions such as schizophrenia are portrayed and routinely stigmatised. It further illustrates the impact of such images on public belief and on the attitudes and responses of carers as well as on the users of mental health services.

Such controversial issues have profound importance for questions of social policy, particularly in relation to programmes such as Care in the Community, where negative attitudes can present a considerable obstacle for organisations attempting to provide community-based resources.

Media and Mental Distress will be of considerable interest to all those working within the health professions, including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric nurses, health service managers, and social workers. It will provide a key text for academics and students taking courses in media studies, reading for all those interested in the work of the Glasgow Media Group and how mental health issues are portrayed in the media.