Mental Health Issues and the Media: An Introduction for Health Professionals

Mental Health Issues and the Media provides students and professionals in nursing and allied professions, in psychiatry, psychology and related disciplines, with a theoretically grounded introduction to the ways in which our attitudes are shaped by the media.

A wide range of contemporary media help to create attitudes surrounding mental health and illness, and for all health professionals, the ways in which they do so are of immediate concern. Health professionals need to:

• be aware of media influences on their own perceptions and attitudes
• take account of both the negative and positive aspects of media intervention in mental health promotion and public education
• understand the way in which we all interact with media messages and how this affects both practitioners and service users.

Covering the press, literature, film, television and the Internet, this comprehensive text includes practical advice and recommendations on how to combat negative images for service users, healthcare workers and media personnel.

Gary Morris is a Mental Health Nursing Lecturer working at the University of Leeds, UK, where he runs a taught module entitled 'Mental Health Issues and the Media'.