All About Bipolar

Posted By atorturedsoul on August 20, 2009

The state of Washington is recognizing the inaccurate portrayal of mental illness by the media and is taking steps to change it.

A free training program, “How the Media Can Influence Public Perceptions of Mental Illnesses and What You Can Do About It” will be held in Wenatchee, Washington on September 24, 2009. The workshop targets journalists, mental health professionals and people living with or recovering from mental illness and offers insight on sensitivity and accuracy in reporting concerning mental illness.

The University of Washington School of Social Work is conducting the training program and it is being funded by the Mental Health Transformation Project. The workshop in Wenatchee will be the third of eight training programs across the state of Washington, with two previous programs held in Vancouver and Burien. Additional programs are being planned in Spokane, Yakima, Tri Cities, North Seattle/Everett and Tacoma/Olympia.

Taken from http://www.dshs.wa.gov/mediareleases/2009/pr09129.shtml:

“The disconnect between reality and what is being reported seems to stem from a number of things, including space issues and a lack of good local resources for reporters to rely on,” says Jennifer Stuber, PhD, associate professor at the UW School of Social Work. Stuber recently conducted a study analyzing news content from Washington state newspapers over the past ten years. The study showed news reports often described multi-faceted people in one-dimensional ways. The articles also exaggerated mental illness over all other characteristics.

“Inaccurate representations of people with mental illness in the news and popular media is creating barriers for employment, housing and developing relationships – three basic necessities to keeping us all contributing successfully to our communities,” says Stuber. “It also creates a reluctance to seek treatment, often turning a manageable illness if caught early into something more difficult to treat, or worse, a tragic ending.”

“The growing number of people diagnosed with mental illness means that we all need to start being more aware, start treating people with mental illness with dignity and respect, help people get the treatment they need, and stop stereotyping in ways that perpetuate discrimination and isolation,” says Stuber.

As recent mentions of bipolar disorder by the media have been degrading to those suffering from the disorder, I feel that this is a giant step forward. Educating the media to be sensitive and respectful of persons with mental illness is likely to have a ripple effect that will also affect the public’s perception of mental illness. I sincerely hope that other states will follow Washington’s lead.

Related posts:

1. Mental Illness Awareness Week diverts attention? This is Mental Illness Awareness Week, and I have found...
2. Mental Illness and Violent Crimes Does mental illness increase a person’s risk of committing a...
3. Mental Illness Awareness Week and Bipolar Disorder Awareness Month Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is October 4-10, 2009. The...
4. Mental Health Benefits for Uninsured in Tennessee Behavioral Health Safety Net of Tennessee provides basic mental health...
5. No Kidding, Me Too! Celebrities talk about mental illness. No Kidding? Me Too! is an organization dedicated to removing...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Categories: About Bipolar Disorder, Agoraphobia, Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, Cyclothymia, My Personal Experiences, NOS, Panic Disorder, Psychosis
Tags: about, all, bipolar, disorder, illness, journalists, media, mental, portrayal, stigma