In a world with active interaction with the media, the language for reporting events has guidelines, and with the recent spotlight on mental health, a responsibility seems to grow for journalists and media reporters.

Journalists and other types of Media Reporters are in charge of revealing different kinds of stories. For this process, the language that the media uses to report mental health issues could be a delicate matter. Sometimes, media can sensationalize or get carried away by external influences when reporting, which can be shown through the language they apply. Does it represent a concerning problem for those who live with a mental illness?

“Most of us live and act according to what we hear or what we see in the media,” said Miguel Angel Altamirano Gamarra, a doctor specialized in family and community medicine, ex-CEO of the mental health community center of Quillabamba.

According to Dr. Altamirano ́s ideas, living in an age where media consumption is constant in our lives, there is a posssibility to find ourselves influenced by our surroundings, which now include media information. It means that a potential threat to our behavior is to mimic the activities portrayed on screens, and there is a good chance that we don’t completely understand the consequences. 

But what does this say about our reaction when the media talks about mental health issues? “Media reporting has been linked to increases in suicides and other harmful behaviors” added Vicki Harrison, Program Director at the Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing at Stanford University School. Mental health specialists such as Altamirando and Harrison, consider that due to a passive acceptance of information, various misguided actions and decision-making can take place. For people living with mental disorders, this could be a more worrying  situation, because it represents a possibility that the reporting that the media uses can cause more in-depth symptoms and a poor understanding of their condition. As a consequence, it could affect the self-esteem of the individuals and their well-being. 

In contrast, when the media coverage has adequate information and language, this can be positive as they now have an adequate understanding of what is living with a mental illness. However, as it usually happens in all professions, not all media reports are ethical, and this can happen when talking about mental health, generating confusion in their audience. This reality can make an individual interpret mental health differently. 

Vicki Harrison added “Referring to someone by their diagnosis implies the illness defines them and does not offer the framing of recovery that alternative language affords”

As Harrison indicates, some media reports use inadequate language for talking about mental health. To put this in context, an example can be using “he’s a schizophrenic” or “anorexic” to describe an individual. In both cases, this can imply that the illness presented (schizophrenia or anorexia) defines this individual, so their behavior is linked to the mental illness. However, the audience should have a greater perspective on the events. As Media has a responsibility  to tell the truth, the audience can be more informed and present a more holistic representation of the individual to understand that the diagnosis of the person does not represent them. Otherwise, representing individuals that live with a mental illness with the use of this type of language can negatively affect the understanding of mental health, producing stigma in our society.  Doctor Altamirano added, “Such situations can cause significant stress and feelings of shame, guilt, anger, rejection, worthlessness or even hopelessness.”

An alternative for journalists and media reporters to avoid this is to implement person-first language. In this way, we can shift the narrative away from an individual defined by their diagnosis to a unique identity beyond their mental health status. Vicki Harrison suggests that, for example, “instead of saying “committed suicide” that frames the suicide as a crime or a sin, rather than a public health issue, best practice would be to say, “died by suicide.”  With this approach, we can be guided towards a more acceptant view of the individual, and a decreasing chance to develop a rejecting behavior towards them. In this way, the fear of judgment can be reduced for the individual mentioned and individuals that are passing through similar moments in their life. To some extent, this can create a more inclusive and understanding society.

Media is used for the transmission of information.