Mental Health

Media Influences on Mental Health Perception

By Jane Chin, Ph.D. ⋅ Post a comment

Since Dr. Steven Hyler published his article, “Stigma Continues in Hollywood” in 2003, the entertainment industry seems to be taking some action on their role in shaping public perception of mental illness.

Dr. Hyler had suggested the following approaches to neutralize the consequences of negative perceptions that were presented by Hollywood:

  • Write letters to producers of films and TV shows perpetuating stereotypes
  • Participate or engage in public awareness events that include celebrity testimonials (for example, Jane Pauley has recently been talking about her experiences with bipolar disorder, Brooke Shields on the effects of postpartum depression)
  • Leveraging the power of the internet - obviously one of my favorite ways to bring the human voices behind each story about mental illness
  • More sympathetic characters when portraying mental illness in the media
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One comment for “Media Influences on Mental Health Perception”

  1. [...] Media Influences on Mental Health Perception [...]

    Posted by Chinspirations.com (est. 1997) » April 16-22, 2006 | April 21, 2006, 1:58 pm

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