It s easy for the media to pick up on stories from out of the headlines that have a salacious tint to them, focusing on the people s illnesses instead of possible treatment solutions to their problems. On local newscasts especially, it s the verbiage that irritates me they throw around words like mental unit , mental patient , and mental hospital in a gratuitous manner. Stigma Watch program tracks media coverage of mental illnesses for fairness and accuracy. The Washington, D.C.-based agency usually responds by contacting the sponsor of the offensive image by phone and letter. The NMHA will develop more targeted strategies to seek to have the ad or program discontinued if the incident merits such action, said James Radack, NMHA senior director for marketing and communications.
Medical dramas are sometimes the worst offenders.
Benny Marrett, MSN, RN, president-elect of the Emergency Nurses Association and a clinical nurse specialist with Emergency Care Consultants of the Carolinas in Rock Hill, S.C., said she has seen medical dramas showing health professionals raising their voices to patients or shining bright lights on them, showing a lack of understanding for the difficulties and particular sensitivities faced by patients with mental illnesses. This can lead them to approach patients with the same stereotypes often portrayed on television. That s where training comes in. There needs to be adequate training to address these problems. Experience can also solve the problem.