The treatment of mental health in the media
The media and the journalism profession are governed by codes of ethics whose purpose is to guarantee ethical responsibility to the society they inform. These are very basic principles, such as those included in the European Code of Ethics for Journalists, which distinguish between reporting objective facts and expressing an opinion, which involves thoughts, ideas, beliefs, or value judgments on the part of the media or its journalists. It also addresses aspects such as the right of individuals to their own privacy and the "moral obligation to defend the values of democracy, respect for human dignity, the resolution of problems through peaceful and tolerant methods, and consequently to oppose violence and hate speech and confrontation, rejecting all discrimination based on culture, sex, or religion."
In an environment where emotional distress and mental health issues have gained prominence in media agendas following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for the media to make an effort to review the language and images they use to report on events and stories. With this objective, Obertament has just launched an updated version of its Style Guide for Media Outlets (available in Catalan ) , a tool designed to help journalists and other media professionals create ethical and responsible content about mental health.
The eight most common mistakes about mental health in the media
Obertament works specifically with the media, providing tools and training, due to the significant impact they have on society and the collective imagination, as an element that perpetuates stereotypes and prejudices that stigmatize people with mental health problems.
What's new in this edition
The guide includes the guidelines presented in the previous edition, but adds new topics that have generated greater interest or media coverage. These topics were agreed upon in collaboration with people with lived experience of mental health issues and with journalists.
Thus, the new topics that have been explored in greater depth are:
- Recommendations and tools for addressing suicide and self-harm in the media, with advice on the use of images and verified information on myths and realities surrounding suicide.
- The focus is on intersectionality and mental health . Mental health affects people differently depending on many other aspects of their identity. All these characteristics, such as gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age, affect how a person's mental health is perceived and, therefore, must be taken into account when communicating.
- Specific indications for diagnoses that have aroused greater interest in the media, such as psychotic disorders or eating disorders.
- Guidelines on the use of images and audio and video in news reporting. Obertament highlights the importance of this field with the advent of artificial intelligence, as the images AI generates regarding mental health continue to be stigmatizing. Since AI learns from the images used in this context, the better we do, the better it will understand which graphic resources are not stigmatizing.
- The information regarding the creation of stories about mental health in fiction is expanded with some tips for both character design and the creation of narrative arcs that are respectful of mental health.
The guide offers a practical overview of common media errors , myths surrounding mental health, language and imagery, and recommendations for specific sections, such as sports, science, and celebrity news, which frequently use metaphors that stigmatize or trivialize mental health disorders. Obertament places particular emphasis on the importance of discussing mental health from a personal perspective , focusing less on statistics (which dehumanize and fail to offer hopeful messages about recovery) and more on individuals and their stories when they choose to share them. In this regard, the guide provides recommendations on how to approach these testimonies and offers best practice advice.