The 'last taboo'

Writing about mental health can cause lots of problems for journalists. There are so many stereotypes to bypass; myths, misconceptions, misinformation. The language you use to report them is crucial, and the points you make need to be clear enough to communicate with the vast majority of people who believe that those with mental health problems are dangerous or unpredictable.

Yet, it’s such an important area to report on. So much of the stigma surrounding psychological problems could arguable be traced back to lack of information, or perpetuated negative stereotypes, both of which the media can have a huge influence over.

As a journalism student and freelance journalist, mental health has always been a primary area of interest for me. A key principle for journalists is to look for the human interest in a story – and stories relating to mental health have that in abundance. The prevalence of these problems in modern society means we all know someone who has struggled with depression, anxiety, or even more serious conditions such as schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder. The more unlucky amongst us have experienced them first hand. But an experience I’ve had all too frequently is pitching stories related to these issues to tutors or editors, and having them rejected, because ‘mental health just isn’t sexy’, ‘it’s too morose’, ‘too depressing’ or whatever reason they care to throw at me.

Whatever you think, the stats speak for themselves. 1 in 4 people will suffer from a mental health problem during their lifetime. That means one out of every four people who pick up your publication could be dealing with these problems – and journalists have a responsibility to address them.

National papers are full of examples of stories related to mental health, both good and bad. The overwhelming majority of those we see in the popular press leave something to be desired in terms of good reporting. ‘Amy Madhouse!’ and ‘Bonkers Britney!’ are the sort of headlines we are used to seeing in the tabloids. The terms ‘schizo’, ‘nutter’ and ‘basket case’ are bandied about, without any real consideration for the people they describe, or what it is like to be on the receiving end of these terms. If anyone desperately needs to be treated with sensitivity and empathy, it’s a person who is struggling with a mental health condition. The treatment they receive from other people could make a huge difference to their recovery and to how they cope with their condition.

The papers seem to fixate particularly on suicide. It’s easy enough to understand why this is newsworthy: it’s usually a violent act, horrific and shocking. As they say: bad news sells. But journalists need to be very careful with this. However contrived it seems, copycat suicides can and do happen. One study found that following reports of a suicide in which anti-freeze was mixed with lemonade and drunk in a field, the following month there were nine cases of deliberate anti-freeze self-poisoning (compared to an average of two per month). And back in March of this year, we saw a spate of young people commit suicides in the town of Bridgend- 17 in total between January and March. The local MP Madeleine Moon has been outspoken about the fact that she believes media coverage is, at least, partially to blame. The situation is so grave that the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has added a new clause which stipulates that journalists must take care to avoid providing excessive detail about the method used in a suicide.

So the point to be made is this: journalists need to pay more attention to mental health stories, and they should never avoid reporting them, however unpalatable or uncomfortable they may be to hear. But how they report them is key. They need to use sensitive and appropriate language, to choose where to provide detail and when not to, and to source real life case studies instead of relying on ‘experts’ for all quotes. Mental health problems cost the UK economy over £77bn a year. Surely there must be something we as journalists can do to break down the stigma and offer support and advice to the people that really need it, and still write great stories at the same time?