The schizophrenia stigma and mass media: a search for news published by wide circulation media in Brazil

Abstract

Schizophrenia is the most common illness used today as a metaphor in the media and routinely appears associated with crime and violence with no medical or scientific rigor, reinforcing the stigma against this disorder. Evaluation of the presence of structural stigma in the Brazilian media by means of a survey of printed news and the Internet using the term schizophrenia and its correlates under three aspects: (a) medical and scientific uses, (b) assigning a diagnosis of schizophrenia to crime suspects with little or no medical or scientific rigor, and (c) the metaphorical use. The study was conducted in three stages: search for publications, classification of items found and analysis of the context in which they were published. The survey was conducted in two periods: 2008 and 2011, the first being restricted to the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo and the second extended to the homepage of the main Brazilian print media. We found 229 texts, distributed as follows: 89 (39%) records as science and health, with a tendency to impersonality; 62 (27%) records as crime and violence, in which the 'diagnosis' of schizophrenia is given by lay people and 'supported' by an archeology of the life of the suspect which enlists all sorts of non-standard behavior; and 78 (34%) records of metaphorical use, always with a negative meaning. Most of the texts found (a) does not give voice to people with schizophrenia and their suffering, (b) trivializes the use of this psychiatric illness out of context to describe contradictory or of dubious character political and economic decisions, and

Mental disorders in the media: A retrospective study of newspaper coverage in the Chilean Press

“…The positive tone of the news increases, the association with violence and danger decreases and reference to rehabilitation and recovery increases. These results differ from those found in other low- and middle-income countries, where there are higher levels of stigma in the press (Aci et al, 2020; Guarniero et al, 2017; Nawková et al, 2012). Indeed, the decrease in stigmatisation in the news in recent decades is consistent with what has been found in other research in Anglophone countries where anti-stigma interventions have been carried out in the mass media.…”

“…Though in general, stigmatisation was low, 30.8% of news items about schizophrenia stigmatises and 28.8% associates it with violence, which is in line with what is found in other research showing schizophrenia as one of the most stigmatised disorders (Bowen et al, 2019; Guarniero et al, 2017; Reavley et al, 2016).…”

“…The media present a negative image of different diagnoses (Bowen, 2016; Koike et al, 2016; MacLean et al, 2015); however, some such as schizophrenia generate greater prejudices (Guarniero et al, 2017; Reavley et al, 2016). Differences have also been found by sex and age group, the news about adult men with MD is usually more negative, than those of children and women (Slopen et al, 2007; Whitley et al, 2015).…”

“…Finally, another way to perpetuate stigma is to not include the perspective of those affected in the press. This generates the vision, on the one hand, that they are unable to express their point of view and, on the other one, that the professionals are the only experts in what happens to them (Guarniero et al, 2017; Ohlsson, 2018; Subramanian, 2018).…”

Nutrición y psiquiatría: ¿podrían las estrategias nutricionales reducir el impacto y la discapacidad relacionada con los trastornos mentales?

“…4 This is mainly related to the prejudices that are deeply rooted in the population about the adverse effects generated by psychoactive drugs. 5,6 Regardless of the myths and prejudices established around current psychiatric treatments, the overall therapeutic response in most cases barely exceeds 50%. 7 Therefore, the need to improve the efficacy and impact of mental disorders treatment is evident and urgent.…”