"The mass media are an important source of information about mental health, yet television shows, news stories, social media posts, and other media fare often perpetuate stereotypes and misunderstandings about mental illness. For 70 years, scholars in media studies, psychology, sociology, and other
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fields have investigated media representations of mental illness and how exposure to media content informs people's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to mental health. Despite the attention, little progress has been made in changing these messages and mitigating negative outcomes. Enter 'Media & Mental Health'. This book flips the issue on its head, examining the question: Can the problem be a solution? Informed by budding lines of research from media studies, psychology, and other fields, this book discusses ways in which television, music, movies, news, social media, and other mass media fare may challenge the stigmatization of mental illness. It contains insight that is valuable for both academic and lay audiences, including "best practices" for mental health professionals, activists, and organizations to help reduce stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination and to improve public understanding of this oft-misunderstood part of the human experience." (Publisher description)
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"Media representations of ageing play a role in stereotype formation and even reinforce them. Encountering these stereotypes can negatively impact the self-esteem, health status, physical wellbeing and cognitive performance of older people. This international collection examines different dimensions
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of ageing and ageism in a range of media. Chapters include explorations of the UK media during the COVID-19 pandemic; age, gender and mental health in Ghana; advertising in Brazil; magazines in Canada; Taiwanese newspapers; comics, graphic novels and more." (Publisher description)
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"Las 13 experiencias de radios de salud mental que se exponen aquí, han sido un medio terapéutico que a la fecha no ha logrado ser reconocida de manera relevante por las formas hegemónicas establecidas encaminadas al tratamiento de padecimientos mentales, pero la buena noticia es que este texto h
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ace evidente el efecto positivo que genera la comunicación en las personas, y que inevitablemente también debe denunciar, aunque sea de forma muy somera, que el encierro no es la respuesta al tratamiento del sufrimiento mental. Si las 13 “radios locas” que se dan a conocer en las páginas de esta aventura fueran personas, podríamos darnos cuenta que siempre existirá una pluralidad o diversidad que es intrínseca a la vida y que, dentro de esa variedad de características, la comunicación, la empatía y el amor son elementos que no faltan en ninguna de esas personas, las cuales tienen mucho que contar y que afortunadamente en su mayoría son buenas noticias y vivencias." (Prólogo, página 10)
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"Hacer comunicación participativa en Radio Vilardevoz es aprender a tomar la palabra, una palabra que ha sido encerrada y empastillada por ser considerada “delirante” o “falta de valor”. Aquí aprendemos que nuestra palabra vale y hacer radio nos permite buscar la forma de hacer llegar nues
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tro mensaje, informarnos, discutir y generar una posición colectiva. Como medio de comunicación, tenemos una intencionalidad política: liberar la locura de la enfermedad mental, cerrar los manicomios, visibilizar las condiciones de atención de la Salud Mental en Uruguay y desarrollar un dispositivo alternativo de psicología y comunicación participativa. Como radio, tenemos un proyecto comunicacional, que es la forma en que expresamos nuestros propósitos. Para esto contamos con espacios de discusión, de producción y de salida al aire. La producción radiofónica, desde una perspectiva comunitaria, supone pensar el modo en que traducimos nuestro Proyecto Político Comunicacional (PPC) en lenguaje de radio. Por eso en Vilardevoz estamos en producción permanente (se produce en los rincones del patio, en la fonoplatea, en los espacios del sábado de tarde), pero además, dentro de la radio, tenemos espacios diseñados para esa tarea. Es el caso del Taller de Producción y Sala de Redacción. La salida al aire en vivo se da los días sábados y tiene dos formatos. Desde las 9 a las 13 horas es una trasmisión con fonoplatea abierta. Esto le da características especiales a la trasmisión ya que se reciben visitas y se plantea una dinámica de diálogo entre las personas que realizan sus programas y las personas que concurren a la fonoplatea. Desde las 14 hasta las 17, la “tarde de Vilardevoz”, realizamos una salida al aire en estudio, a puertas cerradas y con programas más estructurados que se sostienen sábado a sábado." (Capítulo 1)
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"Das Thema Suizid spielt in der Weltliteratur eine große Rolle: In Shakespeares Werk kommen 13 Freitode vor, in der Bibel sind elf Selbsttötungen zu finden. Auch der Spielfilm interessiert sich seit jeher für den Topos der Lebensmüdigkeit und Todessehnsucht: Das American Film Institute zählt an
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die 1.600 Spielfilme, in denen Suizidhandlungen vorkommen bzw. eine Rolle spielen. Neuere Untersuchungen zu den wichtigsten Suizidmotiven im Spielfilm zeigen, dass es im Film weniger psychiatrische Erkrankungen sind, die zu einem Selbstmord führen, sondern soziale Schwierigkeiten und Konflikte, wie zum Beispiel Beziehungsabbrüche, Trennungen, Eltern-Kind-Konflikte, Partnerschafts-Probleme, Geldnöte, Einsamkeit, Mobbing und zwischenmenschliche Schikanen, gesellschaftliche Vorurteile gegenüber Rasse und sexueller Orientierung, Schuld und Scham, welche Film-Protagonisten dazu bringen, sich das Leben zu nehmen. Damit fordert der Film die gängige psychiatrische Lehrmeinung heraus, dass sich 90% aller Suizidhandlungen vor dem Hintergrund einer psychischen Störung ereignen. Zumindest für die Filmfiguren stimmt diese These keinesfalls, da nur ca. 20% aller Film-Protagonisten sich aufgrund einer psychiatrischen Problematik das Leben nehmen. Dieses Buch thematisiert alle Freitod-Beweggründe in den enthaltenen Filmen in unterhaltsamen Beiträgen und fachlich fundierten Analysen. Es richtet sich sowohl an filmbegeisterte Fachleute aus Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychologie als auch an interessierte Laien, die die Beweggründe der Filmfiguren besser verstehen möchten." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"When we think about the "pictures in our heads" that media create and perpetuate, what images are we truly referencing? Issues of media stereotypes and representation (both past and present) are crucial to advancing media literacy. 'Media Stereotypes: From Ageism to Xenophobia' becomes one-stop sho
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pping for synthesizing what we know within the composite of stereotyping research in the United States." (Publisher description)
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"Addressing depression in young people is a health-care policy need in sub-Saharan Africa. There exists poor mental health literacy, high levels of stigma, and weak capacity at the community level to address this health-care need. These challenges are significant barriers to accessing mental health
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care for depression, soon to be the largest single contributor to the global burden of disease. We here describe an innovative approach that addresses these issues simultaneously while concurrently strengthening key mental health components in existing education and health-care systems as successfully applied in Malawi and replicated in Tanzania. Improving the pathway to care for young people with depression requires the following: improving mental health literacy (MHL) of communities, youth, and teachers; enhancing case identification and linking schools to community health clinics; improving the capacity of community health-care providers to identify, diagnose, and effectively treat depression in youth. Funded by Grand Challenges Canada, we developed and applied a program called “An Integrated Approach to Addressing the Challenge of Depression Among the Youth in Malawi and Tanzania” (IACD). This was an example of, a horizontally integrated pathway to care model designed to be applied in low-resource settings. The model is designed to 1) improve awareness/knowledge of mental health and mental disorders (especially depression) in communities; 2) enhance mental health literacy among youth and teachers within schools; 3) enhance capacity for teachers to identify students with possible depression; 4) create linkages between schools and community health clinics for improved access to mental health care for youth identified with possible depression; and 5) enhance the capacity of community-based health-care providers to identify, diagnose, and effectively treat youth with depression. With the use of interactive, youth-informed weekly radio programs, mental health curriculum training for teachers and peer educators in secondary schools, and a clinical competency training program for community-based health workers, the innovation created a “hub and spoke” model for improving mental health care for young people. Positive results obtained in Malawi and replicated in Tanzania suggest that this approach may provide an effective and potentially sustainable framework for enhancing youth mental health care, thus providing a policy ready framework that can be considered for application in sub-Saharan Africa." (Abstract)
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"Esta guía de estilo [que] tiene como objetivo ofrecer a periodistas datos y claves sobre la manera más adecuada para informar acerca de temas o aspectos relacionados con la salud mental. Con el fin de que los y las profesionales de la comunicación puedan generar información veraz, contrastada y
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avalada por los 35 años de trabajo de la Confederación, se edita esta Guía que ya tuvo dos ediciones anteriores: una en 2003 y otra en 2008. Esta nueva versión actualiza datos, revisa contenidos, propone nuevas fórmulas comunicativas y pone el foco en nuevas realidades que han de ser tenidas en cuenta .. Los medios de comunicación juegan un papel fundamental y definitorio a la hora de acabar con ese estigma. Utilizar las palabras adecuadas, ofrecer información con carácter positivo que promocione el cuidado de la salud mental, evitar la estigmatización a través de imágenes, dar datos contrastados o permitir que sean las personas con trastorno mental las que cuenten sus propias historias, son algunas de las claves que pueden ayudar a romper esta losa [de estigmatización] definitivamente." (Introducción)
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"This study based on a content analysis and a nationwide survey examines Taiwan’s suicide coverage and general public evaluations of the World Health Organization media guidelines, alongside the copycat effect. Key findings show the daily newspaper Apple Daily essentially failed to follow the guid
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ance, and survey respondents who perceived a strong copycat effect downplayed its sensationalism. The study discusses the implications of the findings for policymaking, public health advocacy, and journalistic practices in how to promote compliance with the WHO guidance." (Abstract)
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"The goal of this handbook is to provide guidance to practitioners and organizations interested in evaluating mental health prevention and early intervention (PEI) programs. In the course of developing an evaluation plan for a series of PEI programs implemented statewide by the California Mental Hea
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lth Services Authority (CalMHSA), we found many resources that discussed general approaches to evaluating mental health programs and policies but few that discussed how to tailor an evaluation approach to mental health PEI activities in particular. PEI activities may require different evaluation strategies than treatment interventions do. First, the activities being administered are different in that they are not clinical interventions. Indeed, PEI activities are highly diverse and provided in many different types of nonclinical settings. Thus, the process outcomes that are used as indicators of successful implementation tend to look different for PEI interventions." (Introduction)
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"Applied Theatre: Performing Health and Wellbeing is the first volume in the field to address the role that theatre, drama and performance have in relation to promoting, developing and sustaining health and wellbeing in diverse communities. Challenging concepts and understanding of health, wellbeing
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and illness, it offers insight into different approaches to major health issues through applied performance. With a strong emphasis on the artistry involved in performance-based health responses, situated within a history of the field of practice, the volume is divided into two sections: Part One examines some of the key questions around research and practice in applied performance in health and wellbeing, specifically addressing the different regional challenges that dominate the provision of health care and influence wellbeing: how the aging population of the global north creates pressure on lifetime healthcare provision, while the global south is dominated by a higher birth rate and a larger population under 15 years old. Part Two comprises case studies and interviews from international practitioners that reflect the diversity of practices across the world and in particular differences between work in the northern and southern hemispheres. These case studies include a sanitation project in a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand in the 1980s, and the sanitation and rural development projects initiated by the traveling theatre troupes of a number of University theatre departments in Africa – Makerere in Kampala, Uganda; Botswana; Lesotho and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – which began in the 1960s. It considers the emergence of Theatre for Development's use as a health approach, considering the work of Laedza Batanani and the influences of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed." (Publisher description)
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"Here we discuss a unique and innovative radio-based approach to improving mental health literacy and creating a demand for mental health services—part of a larger project called 'An Integrated Approach to Addressing the Issue of Youth Depression in Malawi and Tanzania'. Grounded in theories of so
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cial and behavior change communication and edutainment, and leveraging participatory methodologies, Farm Radio International and partners Teen Mental Health and Farm Radio Trust in Malawi worked with local radio broadcasters in Malawi and Tanzania to design and deliver weekly, interactive youth radio shows about mental health. Ongoing engagement with the content, and deliberation over the messages, was facilitated through SMS feedback mechanisms, and mobile polls and quizzes delivered through the radio stations, along with school-based radio listening clubs that met weekly to listen to the programs and discuss the themes in a group. Over the course of the 45-month project, the radio shows gained immense popularity, in large part because they talked about issues that are important to youth, and incorporated the language youth use and music they prefer. The programs attracted an average of 500,000 listeners each week, and received tens of thousands of text messages and Facebook posts by young people giving feedback, telling the radio hosts about what topics they would like to hear about, and asking questions about mental health or requesting to be connected with a mental health expert. The impact of the radio was measured according to whether and to what extent the interactive media programs play a role in triggering or facilitating drivers of the process of change. These drivers include bringing about improvements in knowledge and attitudes, mobilizing a social movement, and facilitating greater social and public support to put mental health on the agenda as a topic of conversation, grounded in new understandings and new knowledge. Our findings demonstrate that an interactive radio campaign can have a marked effect on improving knowledge, decreasing stigma, and increasing demand for mental health services among youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Youth who listened to the radio programs fare better than their peers in understanding the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders and in knowing where to go if they or someone they know needs help. Further, interactive radio programs can have a direct impact on reducing stigmatizing attitudes, frequently recognized as a crucial element in promoting improved access to care." (Executive summary)
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"This collection offers fresh perspectives on the aesthetics, politics and histories of applied theatre. With contributions from leading scholars in the field, the book illuminates theatre in a diverse range of global contexts and regions. Divided into three sections - histories and cultural memorie
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s; place, community and environment; and poetics and participation - the chapters interweave cutting-edge theoretical insights with examples of innovative creative practice that traverse different places, spaces and times." (Publisher description)
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"This toolkit aims to help global mental health researchers communicate their findings to their stakeholders. The principles in this toolkit can be applied to all stakeholders, including policy-makers, and to key messages about your project’s implementation and policy influence activities. This to
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olkit will help you to know: 1. How to package your key messages to make them remembered and acted upon by your stakeholders; 2. How to plan your communications methods and activities to achieve your project and policy objectives; 3. How to produce communications products, including impact statements, blogs, infographics and policy briefs, to communicate your key messages to your stakeholders." (Overview)
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"Our media advisory service was set up to provide advice and support on mental health storylines and documentaries. We inputted into 75 soap opera storylines, as well as mental health seasons for BBC 3 and Channel 4. We also developed an online resource for media professionals, and supported media o
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rganisations, including the Sunday Mirror, Channel 4 and Top Santé, to make a pledge to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination. We organised 12 meet the media events, mostly aimed at professionals working in specific sectors, including sports journalism, documentaries, and entertainment and reality TV. Our Get the Picture campaign, launched at an event for picture editors, encouraged media agencies to stop using stigmatising images to illustrate stories about mental health. What we achieved: Input into 75 soap opera and drama storylines; 12 events attended by 594 media professionals; 77% used their learning within two months of the event; 54,450 visits to our media online resource; nine media organisations signed a Time to Change pledge." (Page 2)
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