Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T15:57:51.319Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mass-media, violence and mental illness. Evidence from some Italian newspapers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2011

Bernardo Carpiniello ,
Roberta Girau  and
Maria Germana Orrù
Bernardo Carpiniello*
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Cagliari, Cagliari (Italy)
Roberta Girau
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Cagliari, Cagliari (Italy)
Maria Germana Orrù
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Cagliari, Cagliari (Italy)
*
Address for correspondence: Professor B. Carpiniello, Department of Public Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Cagliari, Via Liguria 13, 09127 Cagliari (Italy). Fax: +39-070-496.295 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Aims – Media reports related to people suffering from mental illness appear to deal prevalently with acts of violence and crimes. The present study focused on all newspaper reports relating to homicides, suicide, and other acts of violence, in an attempt to ascertain whether a different pattern emerged in some Italian newspapers in describing deeds committed by the mentally ill. Materials and methods – All articles published over a six–month period in the two main national and two main regional newspapers relating to homicides, suicides, and other acts of violence were selected. A comparison of reports regarding events attributed to mentally ill people was performed according to quantitative parameters. Results – 2279 articles were considered; 54% regarded homicides, 8.2% suicides and attempted suicides, 2.1% homicides/suicides; the remaining 35.8% regarded other acts of violence. A significantly higher number of words, accompanying photos and a more stigmatizing language were used in reporting deeds when attributed to mentally ill people. Conclusion – An excessive emphasis on deeds related to a psychopathological condition still emerged in media reports, almost as though acts of violence committed by the mentally insane should be viewed in a different light. These findings support the hypothesis that media portrayal mirrors the enduring stereotype of “diversity” of the mentally ill.

Declaration of Interest: no conflict of interest declared.

Keywords

stigmamental illnessmedianewspapers
Type
Original Articles
Information
Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , September 2007 , pp. 251 - 255
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bibliografia

Allen, R. & Nairn, R.G. (1997). Media depictions of mental illness: an analysis of the use of dangerousness. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 31, 375–381.Google Scholar
Angermeyer, M.C. (2001). Schizophrenia and violence. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavian 102, suppl. 47, 63–67.Google Scholar
Angermeyer, M.C. & Schulze, B. (2001). Reducing the stigma of schizophrenia: understanding the process and options for interventions. Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale 10, 1–7.Google Scholar
Barnes, R.C. & Earnshaw, S. (1993). Mental illness in British newspapers. Psychiatric Bulletin 17, 673–674.Google Scholar
Buizza, C, Pioli, R., Ponteri, M., Vittorielli, M., Corradi, A., Minicuci, N. & Rossi, G. (2005). Community attitudes towards mental illness and demographic characteristics: an Italian Study. Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale 14, 154–162.Google Scholar
Carpiniello, B., Pintor, G. & Camera, A. (1991). L'altro diverso da me. II pregiudizio sul malato mentale attraverso l'esame di alcune ricerche sul campo. Rivista Sperimentale di Freniatria 114, 894–910.Google Scholar
Corrigan, P.W. & Watson, A.C. (2002). Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry 1, 16–20.Google Scholar
Corrigan, P.W., Watson, A.C., Gracia, G., Slopen, N., Rasinski, K. & Hall, L.L. (2005). Newspapers stories as measures of structural stigma. Psychiatric Services 56, 551–556.Google Scholar
Day, D.M. & Page, S. (1986). Portrayal of mental illness in Canadian newspapers, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 31, 813–817.Google Scholar
Francis, C, Pirkis, J. & Hunt, D. (2002). Mental Health and Illness in the Media: A Review of Literature. 2001 Media Monitoring Project. Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care: Camberra.Google Scholar
Francis, C, Pirkis, J., Blood, R.W., Dunt, D., Burgess, P., Morley, B., Stewart, A. & Putnis, P. (2004). The portrayal of mental health and illness in Australian non-fiction media. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 38, 541–546.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fruth, L. & Padderund, A. (1985). Portrayals of mental illness in daytime television serials. Journalism Quarterly 62, 384–387.Google Scholar
Gerbner, G., Gross, G., Morgan, M. & Signorelli, N. (1981). Health and medicine on television. New England Journal of Medicine 305, 901–904.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Penrose-Wall, J., Baume, P. & Martin, G. (1999). Achieving the Balance: A Resource Kit for Australian Media Professionals for Reporting and Portrayal of Suicide and Mental Illnesses. Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care: Camberra.Google Scholar
Philo, G. (1994). Media images and popular beliefs. Psychiatric Bulletin 18, 173–174.Google Scholar
Salter, M. & Byrne, P. (2000). The stigma of mental illness: how you can use the media to reduce it. Psychiatric Bulletin 24, 281–283.Google Scholar
Sartorius, N. (1997). Fighting schizophrenia and its stigma: a new World Psychiatric Association educational programme. British Journal of Psychiatry 170, 297.Google Scholar
Shain, R.E. & Philips, J. (1991). The stigma of mental illness: labelling and stereotyping in the news. In Risky Business: Communicating Issue of Science, Risk and Public Policy (ed. Wilkins, E. and Patterson, P.). Greenwood Press: Westport, Connecticut.Google Scholar
Signorelli, N. (1989). The stigma of mental illness on television. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 33, 325–331.Google Scholar
Taylor, P. & Gunn, I. (1999). Homicides by people with mental illness: myth and reality. British Journal of Psychiatry 174, 9–14.Google Scholar
Veltro, F., Raimondo, A., Porzio, C, Nugnes, T. & Ciampone, V. (2005). A survey on the prejudice and the sterotypes of mental illness in two communities with or without residential facilities. Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale 14, 170–176.Google Scholar
Walsh, E., Buchanan, A. & Fahy, T. (2002). Violence and schizophrenia: examining the evidence. British Journal of Psychiatry 180, 490–495.Google Scholar
Warner, R. (2001). Combating the stigma of schizophrenia. Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale 10, 12–17.Google Scholar
Whal, O.F. (1995). Media Madness: Public Images of Mental Illness. Rutgers University Press: New Brunswick, New Jersey.Google Scholar