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Reinforcing Stigmatization: Coverage of Mental Illness in Spanish

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Reinforcing Stigmatization: Coverage of

Mental Illness in Spanish Newspapers
a b a b a
Enric Aragonès , Judit López-Muntaner , Santiago Ceruelo &
a b
Josep Basora
a
Tarragona-Reus Primary Care Area , Catalan Health Institute ,
Tarragona , Spain
b
IDIAP (Primary Care Research Institute) Jordi Gol , Barcelona ,
Spain
Published online: 07 Apr 2014.

To cite this article: Enric Aragonès , Judit López-Muntaner , Santiago Ceruelo & Josep Basora (2014):
Reinforcing Stigmatization: Coverage of Mental Illness in Spanish Newspapers, Journal of Health
Communication: International Perspectives, DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2013.872726

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ISSN: 1081-0730 print=1087-0415 online
DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2013.872726

Reinforcing Stigmatization: Coverage of Mental

Illness in Spanish Newspapers

ENRIC ARAGONÈS AND JUDIT LÓPEZ-MUNTANER

Tarragona-Reus Primary Care Area, Catalan Health Institute,
Downloaded by [Institut Catala de la Salut], [Enric Aragonès] at 23:55 07 April 2014

Tarragona, Spain and IDIAP (Primary Care Research Institute) Jordi

Gol, Barcelona, Spain

SANTIAGO CERUELO
Tarragona-Reus Primary Care Area, Catalan Health Institute,
Tarragona, Spain

JOSEP BASORA
Tarragona-Reus Primary Care Area, Catalan Health Institute,
Tarragona, Spain and IDIAP (Primary Care Research Institute) Jordi
Gol, Barcelona, Spain

Because the media influences society’s perceptions of reality, the treatment of mental
illness in the news can have an effect on the societal stigma related to it. This study
aimed to analyze the content and form of news items related to mental illness in
Spanish newspapers in order to understand their role in propagating or attenuating
stereotypes, prejudices, and stigma. The authors conducted a cross-sectional descrip-
tive study on the basis of a review of news items related to mental illness appearing in
the Spanish print media. A sample was taken from articles published on the subject in
the 20 Spanish newspapers with the widest circulations over the course of the year
2010. Formal elements and content were analyzed by means of a structured evaluation
system. The authors analyzed 695 news items. The content of 47.9% (n ¼ 333) of the
articles was not strictly related to mental illness, but rather clinical or psychiatric
terms were used metaphorically, and frequently in a pejorative sense. The remaining
52.1% (n ¼ 362) consisted of news items related specifically to mental illness. Of
these, news items linking mental illness to danger were the most common (178 texts,
49.2%), specifically those associating mental illness with violent crime (130 texts,
35.9%) or a danger to others (126 texts, 34.8%). The results confirm the hypothesis
that the press treats mental illness in a manner that encourages stigmatization. The
authors appeal to the press’s responsibility to society and advocate an active role
in reducing the stigma towards mental illness.

People who suffer from mental illnesses have to deal with not only the inherent
difficulties of the disease itself but also the negative societal attitudes such as rejection
and discrimination. These attitudes are the result of the stigmatization, stereotypes,
and prejudices associated with mental illnesses and those who suffer from them.
Discrimination associated with this stigma makes social integration and employment

Address correspondence to Enric Aragonès, Centre d’Atenció Primària de Constantı́, Institut Català
de la Salut, Carrer dels Horts 6, 43120 Constantı́ (Tarragona), Spain. E-mail: earagones.tarte.ics@gencat.cat

1
 2 E. Aragonès et al.

more difficult for individuals with a mental illness, because such individuals are
considered to be unpredictable, incapable, or dangerous and the cause of unease or
fear, therefore leading others to reject and avoid them (Corrigan & Watson, 2002;
Jorm & Oh, 2009). Often, a mentally ill individual internalizes these stereotypes
(self-stigmatization) and feels ashamed of his or her condition. This can lead to
attempts to hide the condition and can considerably impede social adaptation and per-
sonal well-being (Corrigan & Watson, 2002; Rüsch, Corrigan, Todd, & Bodenhausen,
2010; Livingston & Boyd, 2010), and prevent affected individuals from accessing
health care to receive the care and continuous treatment they need (Schomerus &
Argenmeyer, 2008). Patients often describe stigmatization as a source of greater diffi-
culties and greater suffering than the disease itself (Ritsher & Phelan, 2004).
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The media play a pivotal role in society’s perception and interpretation of reality
(Klin & Lemish, 2008). Even in this era of new technologies, for most people the
media are still the main, or only, source of information about mental illness (Jorm,
2000). So, the media can feed into and perpetuate stigmas associated with mental
illness; in contrast, the media can promote opinions that do not stigmatize (Klin
& Lemish, 2008; Salter & Byrne, 2000).
Several authors in the English-speaking world and in other European countries
have researched this subject, and the invariable conclusion they have drawn is that
newspapers frequently treat mental illness in a manner that promotes the stigma
and the perpetuation of false beliefs and stereotypes (Boke, Aker, Alptekin Aker,
Sarisoy, & Sahin, 2007; Carpiniello, Girau, & Orrù, 2007; Clement & Foster,
2008; Corrigan et al., 2005; Klin & Lemish, 2008; Magliano, Read, & Marassi,
2011; Nawková et al., 2012; Wahl, Wood, & Richards, 2002). Newspapers sub-
tly—and sometimes explicitly—transmit erroneous stereotypes and negative por-
trayals of mental illness (Clement & Foster, 2008; Corrigan et al., 2005; Wahl
et al., 2002). Published news items tend to establish a relation between mental illness
and violence, and most articles that mention people with mental illnesses use terms
connoting danger, criminality, and violence. Although longitudinal research suggests
that the prevalence of these types of news items has decreased over the past two dec-
ades, a considerable portion continues to focus on the danger posed by mental illness
(Corrigan et al., 2005; Goulden et al., 2011; Vahabzadeh, Wittenauer, & Carr, 2011).
Positive news items tend to portray a paternalist image that emphasizes deficiencies
and needs, while there is a marked lack of articles that underscore the capabilities of
mentally ill individuals and their ability to recover (Corrigan et al., 2005; Klin &
Lemish, 2008).
Although there is concern for how the media approaches the subject of mental
illness in Spain, primarily from associations of individuals with mental illnesses and
their families (Confederación Española de Agrupaciones de Familiares y Personas
con Enfermedad Mental, 2008), from professionals working in journalism (Esteban,
2006), and some other institutions (Consejerı́a de Salud. Junta de Andalucı́a, 2012),
there is little objective data on the actual scope of the issue (Muñoz, Pérez-Santos,
Crespo, Guillén, & Izquierdo, 2011; Galdeano Mondragón et al., 2008).
This article aimed to analyze how news items published in Spanish newspapers
refer to mental illness and how these articles can influence the perpetuation or the
attenuation of social stigmas and stereotypes towards mental illness.

Method
We carried out a cross-sectional descriptive study on the basis of a review of news
items related to mental illness or that make reference to mental illness that have
appeared in the Spanish print media. The study analyzes and codifies the content
of the articles and formal elements related to how mental illness is reported.
 Mental Illness in Spanish Newspapers 3

Newspapers Sample
We analyzed a sample of articles published in leading Spanish newspapers. The sample
was taken from all general information newspapers with circulations of more than
50,000 (Oficina de Justificación de la Difusión, 2012). To ensure that the sample was
geographically representative, the newspaper with the widest circulation in each of the
17 autonomous Spanish communities was also included regardless of whether it met
the previously mentioned criteria for minimum circulation. The study period was estab-
lished as 12 weeks from the year 2010, with 1 week selected at random from each month.

Data Collection
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Articles were obtained from the MyNews S.L. digital online newspaper and periodical
archives using the following search terms: mental illness, mental disorder, psychosis,
psychopathy, psychopathology, schizophrenia, and related words. [Search strategy in
Spanish: esquizofr
OR ‘trast
mental’ OR ‘enf
mental’ OR psicop
OR psicot
OR
psicos
].
Articles about illegal drugs and alcohol-related disorders were excluded unless
they also clearly made reference to a mental illness, as were articles on psychiatric
or psychological evaluations, and articles in which the search term appeared as
the title or subject of a film, literary, or artistic work.

Codifying Content
Metaphorical Meaning
First, articles were selected in which medical and psychiatric terms were used not in
their clinical sense, but in a metaphorical sense (generally pejorative): schizophrenic
as a synonym for incoherent or unpredictable and paranoid as a synonym for
untrustworthy.

Content Analysis
For news items that referred to mental illness in a nonmetaphorical sense, we used a
content codification system on the basis of the approaches described in Corrigan and
colleagues (2005) and Wahl and colleagues (2002). Four key concepts were evaluated
and codified. The first classification is dangerousness, in which a mentally ill individ-
ual is referred to as dangerous or violent, causing fear, avoidance, rejection, and
social marginalization. The second classification refers to what the mental illness
is attributed to, including personal responsibility (i.e., depicting a mentally ill indi-
vidual as responsible for his or her own illness), so the illness is perceived as a just
punishment. The third classification examines how the articles refer to the treatment
of mentally ill individuals. Last, the fourth classification analyzes positive
approaches and actions that benefit mentally ill patients—the antithesis of stigma.
Therefore, the codification scheme comprises the following four main categories:
dangerousness, guilt=etiology, treatment=recovery, and positive action=advocacy.
To achieve greater precision in the codification of the content of the articles, within
each of these categories several subcategories were included with predefined criteria
that were not exclusive between subcategories (see Table 1).

General Tone
In accordance with the approach described in Wahl and colleagues (2002), the selec-
ted news items were classified according to the overall manner in which the mental
illness was treated. The classifications were positive tone, which depicted individuals
with mental illness as capable, with positive qualities, or with the potential to recover
 4 E. Aragonès et al.

Table 1. Classification of news items on mental health, by content

News item n %
Etiology=guilt 62 17.1
Personal guilt 25 6.9
Family guilt 8 2.2
Biological cause 16 4.4
Environmental cause 27 7.5
Dangerousness 178 49.2
Danger to others 126 34.8
Violent crime 130 35.9
Nonviolent crime 9 2.5
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Suicide 18 5.0
Legal competence 77 21.3
Victim of a crime 16 4.4
Drug=alcohol abuse 10 2.8
Treatment=recovery 63 17.4
Advances in research 36 9.9
Biological treatment 13 3.6
Psychosocial treatment 25 6.9
Recovery 18 5.0
Positive action 59 16.3
Quality of treatment 4 1.1
Insufficient resources 26 7.2
Social exclusion 43 11.9
Equality 13 3.6

Note. Each of the 362 news items on topics related to mental disease have been sorted into a single main
category (etiology=guilt, dangerousness, treatment=recovery, and positive action) on the basis of their
content. In each category, a single news item may be included in one or more subcategories.

and contribute to society; negative tone, which depicted individuals with mental
illness as weak, disabled, dangerous, violent, and so forth; neutral tone, which
depicted individuals as neither positive nor negative; or mixed tone, which depicted
both positive and negative aspects.

Journalistic Style
We also analyzed formal aspects of the writing, style, and presentation of the news
items. The creation of the evaluation scheme was based on suggestions and guidelines
for journalistic style related to mental illness outlined in the Guı́a de Estilo de Salud
Mental y Medios de Comunicación (Style Guide for Mental Health and the Media;
Confederación Española de Agrupaciones de Familiares y Personas con Enfermedad
Mental, 2008). We defined five items that were considered appropriate and five items
that were considered inappropriate manners of presenting or referring to mentally
ill individuals (see Table 2): the use of offensive terms (e.g., perturbed, crazy),
the nominalization of the illness (e.g., schizophrenic instead of individual=person
with schizophrenia), the use of outdated terminology (e.g., lunatic asylum instead of
psychiatric hospital), use of unsuitable terminology (e.g., lock up instead of admit),
and use of images (e.g., images that depict social isolation or a lack of productivity).

Evaluation and Codification

The evaluation and codification of the news items was conducted by two qualified raters
(S.C. and J.L.-M.). Both were involved in consensually drafting the codification schemes
and criteria with the remaining members of the research team. To verify the quality of
the codification and to ensure the absence of bias, 14% of the articles (n ¼ 97) were
 Mental Illness in Spanish Newspapers 5

Table 2. Classification of news items on mental health, by journalistic style and

formal presentation

n %
Appropriate forms
Referring to a person diagnosed with a mental 179 49.4
disorder as an individual with a mental
disease, with mental health problems, a
person who has schizophrenia, etc.
Referring to care centers: mental health center, 46 12.7
day center, rehabilitation center, psychiatric
hospital, etc.
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Referring to psychiatric admittance: 17 4.7

admittance=admitted to, etc.
Illustrating information on mental health with 101 27.9
suitable graphic material: most mental
disorders are invisible.
Inappropriate forms
Referring to individuals with mental disorders 131 36.2
using offensive or antiquated terms that
perpetuate ignorance and lead to
stigmatization, or the nominalization of
conditions, such as mentally ill, perturbed,
psychopath, crazy, schizophrenic, psychotic.
Referring to care centers with antiquated or 33 9.1
offensive terms: lunatic asylum, sanatorium,
etc.
Referring to admittance using unsuitable terms 31 8.5
that contribute to stigmatization and
discrimination: detention, internment, locked
up, etc.
Using images which convey the idea of social 61 16.9
isolation, unproductiveness, or which arouse
compassion or rejection. Images of other
types of disabilities.

Note. Of the 362 news items analyzed, 306 were categorized according to these criteria
and 56 were not classifiable. Stated percentages reflect 362 news items analyzed.

randomly selected and codified by both raters independently, and the interrater
agreement was calculated using the kappa coefficient (j) for primary variables.

Results
During the study period, a total of 695 news items were identified that contained the
stipulated search terms, with an average of 33.1 news items (SD ¼ 18.6) and a range
of 5 to 77 news items per newspaper.
The search terms that led to the identification of most of the texts were
schizophrenia and related terms (269 articles, 38.7%); psychosis and related terms
(213 articles, 30.6%); psychopathy, psychopathology and related terms (132 articles,
19.0%), and mental disorders, mental disease and related terms (81 articles, 11.7%).
The majority of the texts were located in the society (19.4%), regional (16.1%),
and local (12.6%) news sections.
The reliability analysis between the two observers showed that agreement was
very good in the identification of news items that used search terms in a metaphorical
 6 E. Aragonès et al.

Table 3. Metaphoric use of schizophrenia, psychosis, psychopathy, and related terms

Term Meaning n %
Schizophrenia and related terms Incoherence=contradiction 110 71.4
Eccentricity 44 28.6
Psychopathy, psychopathology and related Dangerousness 14 35.9
Eccentricity 25 64.1
Psychosis, psychotic and related Irrational fear 113 80.7
Eccentricity 27 19.3

Percentages were calculated for articles in each of the search term categories.
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sense (j ¼ 0.936) and good in the classification of content according to main subject
(j ¼ 0.726), and in the codification of the general tone of the articles (j ¼ 0.725).
The content of 333 of the texts identified (47.9%) was not strictly related to men-
tal illness. These used the clinical or psychiatric terms metaphorically, and frequently
in a pejorative manner. The most common use of the term schizophrenia was for
incoherence or contradiction, or as an equivalent for eccentricity. We also often found
psychosis used to refer to an irrational or absurd fear (see Tables 3 and 4).
The remaining 362 texts (52.1%) were analyzed and codified according to content.
In general, terms relating mental illness to dangerousness were the most common (178
texts, 49.2%), and within this category mental illness was more specifically associated
with violent crime (130 texts, 35.9%), and danger to others (126 texts, 34.8%).
On the basis of how articles treated the issue of mental illness and their general
tone, 94 texts (26%) were classified as having a positive tone; 70 (19.3%) were classi-
fied as having a negative tone; 53 (14.6%) shared positive and negative elements in

Table 4. Examples of the metaphoric use of clinical psychiatric terms

Erroneous
Term synonym Example
Schizophrenia Incoherence ‘‘As if two irreconcilable universes could coexist so
snugly in the same newsstand. Absolute
schizophrenia.’’ (La Vanguardia, May 21, 2010)
Contradiction ‘‘Secondly, because the legal uncertainty caused by this
‘schizophrenic’ situation in which yacht races are held
in the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere
with never-before-seen boats, has created ‘grave con-
cerns’ with the sponsors . . . ’’ (La Razón,
February 3, 2010)
Schizophrenia Eccentricity ‘‘If stability off the pitch is associated with good sense,
then the Real Madrid has been living in a state of
schizophrenia for years.’’ (El Correo, May 17, 2010)
Psychopathology Eccentric ‘‘Someday there will be time to analyse our leadership’s
attitudes psychopathology and how easy it is for them to go
from being normal to being the chosen ones . . . ’’
(El Periódico, March 16, 2010)
Psychosis Fear of the ‘‘ . . . recent statements published in the French
irrational newspaper L’humanité accuse the pharmaceutical
lobby of having a hand in swine flu psychosis.’’
(El Norte de Castilla, January 14, 2010)
Psychotic Eccentricity ‘‘Like Alice, the psychotic heroine of Lewis Caroll’s
Incoherence novel, Zapatero seems to live in a land of make
believe.’’ (ABC, June 19, 2010)
 Mental Illness in Spanish Newspapers 7

their approach to mental illness and were classified as mixed tone; and 145 articles
(40.1%) had a neutral tone.
In the analysis of the formal aspects of the writing and presentation of the news
items, we found that the use of appropriate forms was only slightly more prevalent
than the use of inappropriate forms.

Discussion
This study examines the journalistic approach to the issue of mental illness in a large
sample of Spanish newspapers using a conceptually well-founded system for classi-
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fying the content of the news items in order to facilitate the comparison of our results
with those of other studies conducted using a comparable method.

Main Findings
In general, the hypothesis that the press treats mental illness in a manner that
encourages stigmatization was confirmed. It is remarkable that nearly half (48%)
of the articles analyzed used clinical terms in a metaphorical sense or as pejorative
descriptions. However, this was not unexpected, as other authors have reported fre-
quencies of metaphor use of as high as 74% (Magliano et al., 2011). A metaphor
implies that a word or expression with its own definition is used in a figurative sense
to mean something else. The use of these terms as metaphors certainly reflects
common usage, and the journalists are merely reproducing a common semantic
construction. However, the repeated use of the term schizophrenia as the equivalent
of contradiction or incoherence, and of psychosis as irrational fear in the press
contributes to consolidating people’s perceptions of the stigmatizing conceptual
equivalence that individuals with schizophrenia are incoherent, or that individuals
with psychotic disorders think and act in ways that are stupid or irrational.
In the group of news items with content relating specifically to mental illness, the
most frequently identified category was dangerousness, accounting for 51% of the
total. Especially prevalent within this category were the concepts of danger to others
(35%) and news items that linked mental illness with crime or violent crime (36%),
while news items depicting individuals with mental illness as victims accounted for
only 4%. In this context, it is important to note that according to epidemiological
data individuals with mental illness are more often the victims of violence than the
perpetrators of violence (Stuart, 2003).
Implying a link between mental illness and crime and danger is the most
common way mental illness is reflected in Spanish newspapers, thereby reinforcing
the social perception that people with mental illnesses may be dangerous, violent,
or prone to crime. In a study of the U.S. press using a similar classification scheme
in 2002, Corrigan and colleagues (2005) also found that the most common concept
was danger (39%), specifically the link between mental illness and violent crime
(25%). In contrast, in a study of British newspapers, Goulden and colleagues
(2011) reported that in 2008, good-news articles (e.g., research, treatment, infor-
mation, advocacy) were more common than bad-news articles (e.g., dangerousness,
suicide, victimization, ineptitude), compared with data from 1992 in which bad-news
articles were more frequent. However, these authors suggest that this positive change
is not homogeneous; for example, news items for schizophrenia and personality dis-
orders continue to be primarily stigmatizing.
Among the news items in the etiology=guilt section, articles attributing the cause
of mental illness to external environmental factors occur with a frequency on par
with those that emphasize the responsibility or guilt of a mentally ill individual. This
 8 E. Aragonès et al.

is consistent with the social stereotype that places the responsibility for mental illness
on those who suffer from it (Corrigan et al., 2002). A surprisingly low proportion of
news items that address the issue of the etiology of mental illness from a biological
point of view (4%) take into account the increasing predominance of neuroscience in
science and the media and the shift toward a more biological approach to mental
health in recent decades (Racine, Waldman, Rosenberg, & Illes, 2010).
Of the news items, 17% were placed in the treatment category. These were more
frequent than new items related to research findings, which usually have a media
impact, but often no real immediate impact on clinical practice or patients’ health.
One positive piece of data was that a third of the articles in this category refer to
recovery as a possible or desirable result, and none of the articles referred to mental
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illness as incurable. Recovery from a mental illness is a goal that places emphasis on
hope—on the belief that people who suffer from a mental illness can overcome it and
lead meaningful lives—and on personal responsibility and the possibility of regain-
ing control of one’s own life (Slade, 2011). The diffusion of these ideas helps to
counteract the stigma.
Of the news items analyzed, 16.3% dealt with issues related to positive action=
advocacy, particularly in reference to a concern about and denouncement of social
exclusion and a lack of social and health care resources. This piece of data is
especially positive because articles with this theme—which account for one in
six—work to directly oppose the stigma of mental illness.
When we classified articles according to the general tone of their content we
found that articles with a positive tone (i.e., articles portraying the individual with
a mental illness as capable, useful, or able to potentially recover) were more
common than articles with a negative tone (i.e., articles portraying individuals with
a mental illness as weak, disabled or dangerous). Some empathetic news items were
not classified as positive because they emphasized the shortcomings and needs of
individuals with mental illnesses. Mentally ill individuals were depicted more as
deserving of compassion than as useful and well-integrated members of society.
Antistigma advocates defend the need to cultivate empathy that promotes equality
and not condescension and the overstatement of differences (Corrigan, Watson,
Byrne, & Davis, 2005). Most of the articles (40%), however, were found to have
a neutral tone. These were often news items in which mental illness was not the
main issue, but included as secondary information. In the United States, Wahl
and colleagues (2002) reported that in 1999, articles with a negative tone were
the most prevalent, accounting for 38% of the total, compared with 17% for articles
with a positive tone—figures that represented an improvement over the data from
1989. We found that the use of journalistic styles that used appropriate images and
nondiscriminating, nonstigmatizing terms were slightly more common than articles
with inappropriate terms or unsuitable images that conveyed isolation, unproduc-
tiveness, or rejection (or compassion). Inappropriate terms include the use of
nominalization (e.g., a schizophrenic vs. an individual with schizophrenia). From
a linguistic point of view, this is not incorrect, but advocates (Confederación
Española de Agrupaciones de Familiares y Personas con Enfermedad Mental,
2008) insist that identifying an individual by his or her condition should be
avoided—an individual has a mental illness, but he or she is more than just
mentally ill. Other linguistic uses observed include clearly injurious or disrespectful
terms: crazy, disturbed, psychiatric imprisonment, and so forth. It is important to
advocate the use of nonstigmatizing language when referring to individuals with
mental illnesses, as has been done for other groups subject to stigmatization
(e.g., racial, gender-related), but it is equally important to realize that politically
correct language is only a small part of provoking a change in people’s attitudes
(Penn & Nowlin-Drummond, 2001).
 Mental Illness in Spanish Newspapers 9

Limitations
This is a purely descriptive study, and some of the unresolved topics that go beyond
its scope, except to inspire reflection and speculation, include the underlying
mechanisms that determine the behavior of the press and how stigmatizing messages
about mental illness actually affect readers and society in general. To achieve
a more complete view of the situation, this research should be complemented with
qualitative methods.
It was difficult to reduce the complexity of the articles to a limited set of criteria
in order to judge whether they presented a specific stigmatizing theme, to classify
them into specific categories, and to categorize the overall tone of the articles as
positive or negative. Many of the news items we analyzed contained several messages
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(e.g., an article could refer to a topic that links mental illness and crime), while
also showing concern or criticizing the inadequacies of mental health care in the
penitentiary system.
The sample of articles that we analyzed was limited by the effectiveness of the
search terms. Although we used a broader strategy than other researchers have
previously employed (many authors limit their searches to schizophrenia), we cannot
rule out the possibility that some articles related to mental illness have not been
adequately identified.
Moreover, we cannot rule out the possibility of bias in the selection of
newspapers, or that by excluding the numerous small local newspapers and free
newspapers—which are often influential in their areas—we did not miss information.
In addition, newspapers constitute only a portion of the media; radio, television,
magazines, and increasingly, the internet are equally important if not more
important sources of information on which people base their opinions.

Implications
This study represents an extensive and exhaustive assessment of how the Spanish
press treats and refers to mental illness. Our results, which are consistent with
previous research carried out in other countries, suggest that too often people
continue to encounter news items that present individuals with mental illnesses as
dangerous, violent, or unpredictable, while news items in which these individuals
are presented as capable, productive and useful remain underrepresented.
Just as the news media, and specifically newspapers, can be influential in perpe-
tuating the stigma of mental illness in society, the media can also play a key role in
the fight against prejudice and discrimination. The primary function of the press may
not be not to educate the public, but rather to provide information and reach the
maximum number of readers, which leads to the use of flashy headlines and to giving
greater priority to more emotional issues (e.g., fear, surprise, indignation) in news
writing. However, considering the data in this study and the stigma against mental
illness as not only a public health problem but also an issue of social justice
(Corrigan, Watson, Byrne, & Davis, 2005), we believe it should be possible to seek
engagement with the media and to appeal to the media’s responsibility to society.
While the media must continue to provide information to the public, even about
negative events, they should also treat mental health issues appropriately, without
exaggerations or misconceptions, without the almost automatic attribution of any
inexplicable violent behavior to mental illness, and with suitable language. The
media should also (a) provide information about events or initiatives about mental
illness that are positive and (b) give voice and visibility to individuals with mental
illnesses (Benbow, 2007; López et al., 2008; Salter, 2003). The burden of achieving
this lies not only with journalists but also with all medical and mental health
 10 E. Aragonès et al.

professionals, medical associations, and associations of people with mental illnesses

and their families who advise, guide, and support them.

Supplemental Data
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2013.872726.
Downloaded by [Institut Catala de la Salut], [Enric Aragonès] at 23:55 07 April 2014

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