You in Mind: A preventive mental health television series

Abstract

This study of BBC Television's 'You in Mind' series provides preliminary evidence for the benefits of a mass media approach to preventive mental health. The series was seen by a large national audience who appraised it positively. It had a greater impact in the area of understanding problems as opposed to seeing what to do about them, and a greater impact on the viewer's perceptions of the problems of people the viewers knew, as opposed to the problems of the viewers themselves. Measures of intentions to change behaviour, even when corrected for over-reporting, suggest that a significant minority of the audience had changed or intended to change their behaviour as a result of the series. However, no specific pre-post changes in coping or help-seeking were found. These findings are discussed in terms of the potential and limitations of the mass media for mental health promotion.

Mental health promotion works: a review

“…The campaign achieved wide penetration, putting mental health issues on the cultural agenda in Norway and changing the knowledge of and attitudes towards mental health problems. In the UK, the 'You In Mind' television series had a positive impact on mental-healthrelated understanding and behavioural intentions of a large and diverse national audience (Barker et al, 1993).…”

Large-Scale Health Promotion Stress Workshops for the General Public: A Controlled Evaluation

“…Various ''larger-scale'' approaches have been tried, including use of the mass media. For example, Barker, Pistrang, Shapiro, Davies and Shaw (1993) were involved in the ''You in Mind'' television series which consisted of seven 10-minute programmes covering a variety of mental health topics, including one on ''Overcoming Fear''. An audience survey for the whole series indicated that these programmes seemed to lead to attitudinal, but not behavioural, changes.…”

Multitasking With Television Among Adolescents

“…Television programs might draw attention by targeting adolescents’ needs for emotional escape. Because it can attract those experiencing negative emotions, TV may be a good vehicle for mental health interventions (Barker, Pistrang, Shapiro, Davies, & Shaw, 1993; Muñoz, Glish, Soo-Hoo, & Robertson, 1982). Additional studies should use EMA to test temporal relationships between affective states and TV viewing.…”