There is an emerging problem within the media that needs to be discussed. One in which reporting is reinforcing stigma around mental health.
Off the back of recent reporting and in the lull of political turmoil in Downing Street, I suggest time be used to explore what the consequences of media coverage are for those with lived experience of mental health conditions and what we could do differently. It is quiet now, but with the upcoming review into mental health services as well as the upcoming Mental Health Strategy, it is necessary to be critical of previous coverage to reflect on what change we want to see.
As someone with lived experience of mental health problems, I try to use my experiences to share what works well within mental health services to influence change. I know there are many other advocates out there trying to do the same. So, it often feels like a wasted opportunity when journalists cover mental health without the inclusion of this solution-focused perspective. Instead, they risk doing more harm than good.
The media is covering mental health in a vacuum, without considering why people are requesting sick notes or what people with lived experience think of policies that shape mental health services. Surveying GPs without surveying patients, or covering budget cuts to mental health services while, in another post, stating people are “milking the system” is a disservice to an issue affecting people’s everyday lives. In turn, we are being distracted from the economic, societal, and health issues that underlie the mental health crisis we are facing.
The media are scratching the surface but not going far enough.
With lived experience voices often underrepresented or absent in the media, I question how this shapes decisions made about mental health politically and in the minds of the public. Yes, the media is not beholden to sharing what advocates have to say. But without the inclusion of these voices, I fear we are missing out on balanced coverage that represents a range of experiences.
Beyond this, there is evidence that the language used by the media can be a “key mechanism to influence stigma and discrimination.” Research outlined how “for decades this powerful institution has contributed to spreading misinformation, inappropriate language and reinforcing negative stereotypes about mental illness.” The consequences of this are felt by those who struggle with their mental health, with the Lancet Commission finding that “people with mental health conditions experience a double threat: the impact of the condition itself and the damaging consequences of stigma and discrimination.”
People with lived experience of mental health conditions should not be demonised when they are not given the space share their story or to advocate for change. Why is more respect or dignity not afforded to these individuals or to the topic as a whole? The broader question of public responsibility within the media must be tackled and, within this, where lived experience fits.
While there is a pull to argue for lived experience voices to be included in media coverage, this should not be done brashly. Instead, their voices must be included in a way that goes beyond storytelling into something more productive for everyone involved.
A recent report notes that the media’s current engagement with those who have lived experience of mental health conditions can be “extracting”, leaving them feeling “tokenised”. Unfortunately, this has become a precedent we have come to expect, a process of engagement that has been normalised.
A shift in what we expect of the media’s engagement with those who have lived experience of mental health conditions is a starting point to challenging stigmatising news coverage. What is needed is for someone to take the leap to demonstrate this alternative in practice.
As the NSUN highlight, those with lived experience of mental health conditions must be treated “as an individual rather than a story, not focussing explicitly on the most personal elements of a person’s experiences while ignoring the bigger picture.” This is an imperative that needs to be built upon so that coverage of mental health in the media can become more representative of real lives in this moment of political change.
With mental health set to become prominent in national discourse over the next year, I can only imagine how much more productive the conversation on mental health would be by letting it be led by those who have experience of living with mental health conditions. It’s how we begin to do this meaningfully that matters most.
Grace Ward is an expert by experience and trainee children and young person’s wellbeing practitioner based in Liverpool.
