Toronto Star - Falling through the cracks: Media coverage of mental illness in Canada
For anyone to speak out openly and honestly about their struggle with mental illness is an act of bravery. According to a new study of Canadian media coverage of mental illness, journalists rarely quote individuals with mental illness. The study, "Together Against Stigma: Changing how we see mental illness," will be presented Monday at an international conference in Ottawa.
For anyone to speak out openly and honestly about their struggle with mental illness is an act of bravery. … According to a new study of Canadian media coverage of mental illness, journalists rarely quote individuals with mental illness. The study, "Together Against Stigma: Changing how we see mental illness," will be presented Monday at an international conference in Ottawa.
Led by Rob Whitley, assistant professor at McGill University's Douglas Mental Health University Institute, the MHCC study looked at 11,000 Canadian news reports from 2005 to 2011 that mentioned any of the terms "mental health," "mental illness," "schizophrenia" and "schizophrenic." It is the most in-depth study ever of Canadian media coverage of mental illness.