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Portrayal of Depression and Other Mental Illnesses in Australian Nonfiction Media

Authors :
Francis, Catherine
Pirkis, Jane
Blood, R. Warwick
Dunt, David
Burgess, Philip
Morley, Belinda
Stewart, Andrew
Source :
Journal of Community Psychology. May 2005 33(3):283-297.
Publication Year :
2005

Abstract

This study describes Australian media portrayal of mental illnesses, focusing on depression. A random sample of 1,123 items was selected for analysis from a pool of 13,389 nonfictional media items about mental illness collected between March 2000 and February 2001. Depression was portrayed more frequently than other mental illnesses. Items about depression, eating disorders, and substance use disorders most commonly described policies or programs, whereas items about schizophrenia most frequently portrayed individuals or symptoms and treatment. A minority of items about depression presented information about symptoms, causes, treatment, or prognosis. Although such information was generally accurate, a proportion of items conveyed misleading messages. There is therefore scope for increasing the level of accurate information provided about depression in the Australian media. (Contains 3 tables.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0090-4392
Volume :
33
Issue :
3
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
Journal of Community Psychology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ957972
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20050