Films, television programs, books, magazines, and news programs often stereotype the mentally ill as being violent, unpredictable, or dangerous, unlike the great majority of those who experience mental illness. Taking care of your mental health goes hand in hand with staying connected, but sometimes disconnecting from the screen can be a healthy choice for your well-being. Shelton encourages people to structure their time, check their mood after scrolling, and use the “SIFT” method (Stop, Investigate, Find better coverage, and Trace claims) before trusting what they see. Still, the benefits and addictiveness of social media have solidified its place in modern life. We learned that the risks of social media are often greater in vulnerable populations.

Muscarinic Cholinergic Circuitry in Schizophrenia: Our Evolving Understanding

This has obvious implications for the stigma of mental illness and is a concern for various stakeholders in mental health care (Reference SearleSearle, 1999). The Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force (KOHS) report provides best practices for parents and caregivers on safer social media and online platform use for youth and recommended practices for industry. The journal article concerning depictions of the media on mental illness also emphasizes the importance of  having broader perceptions in understanding the different experiences of others in addressing crucial topics related to mental illness. The media expert suggests the public needs to become more open to learning about mental illness by understanding significant components presented in media platforms, including film and television entertainment.

The study researched broadsheets in the UK, USA and Australia for 4 random months over a 1-year period using the Internet. The coverage in the UK may tend to be even less positive than in the USA and Australia. Long-term antidepressant use rises in Australia, surging among individuals aged 10 to 24, with more off-label sleep and pain prescribing raising safety and withdrawal concerns. In this Oscar-nominated film, a therapist mother spirals amid a child’s feeding disorder, exposing burnout and substance use. Learn how bupropion can trigger dose-related tinnitus and when lowering or stopping the antidepressant brings relief, with real-world clinical guidance. In this CME article, explore the complexities of Parkinson disease, focusing on neuropsychiatric symptoms, their prevalence, and effective treatment strategies for improved patient care.

REPORTING MENTAL ILLNESS

Recently, as part of a request from the Ministry for Health and Active Ageing in Malta, WHO/Europe organized a training workshop for media professionals in Malta to build their capacity in reporting responsibly about mental health issues and suicide. WHO has long worked with media organizations and professionals to ensure accurate, evidence-based reporting about mental health. Millions find comfort in online support communities—especially for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and eating disorders. Understanding how mental health is portrayed in 2025 helps us evaluate what’s helpful, what’s harmful, and how to support more accurate and compassionate coverage. In doing so, we can maximize their potential as allies in mental health care and contribute to a healthier, more educated, tolerant and emotionally balanced society.

We previously created a coding framework to assess changes in newspaper coverage over the course of Time to Change (Thornicroft et al., 2013). Second, the overall effect of the mass media on attitudes may moderate the effectiveness of the rest of the programme, which Mental Health Podcast RSS Feed since 2009 has included a targeted social media campaign along with community projects and work with specific groups including youth, employers and medical students. Phase 2 (2011–16), included work with journalists and editors comprising workshops on responsible coverage, and collaboration on development of characters with mental illness portrayed in TV drama series. In Phase 1 (2008–11) of Time to Change, this was largely limited to protesting incidents of particularly stigmatising coverage, for example that which promotes the stereotype of dangerousness. Recently, national anti-stigma campaigns in Canada (Stuart et al., 2014) and New Zealand (Vaughan and Hansen, 2004) have included media professionals as a target group. Reports on all diagnoses except for schizophrenia were more often anti-stigmatising than stigmatising.

• Cyberbullying, bullying or harassment using social media or other electronic means, has been shown to have effects on mental health.
• Studies have suggested that children with ASD are more prone to prolonged screen exposure, which may contribute to difficulties in socialization and behavioral regulation .
• Kiana Shelton, therapist and licensed clinical social worker at Mindpath Health in Katy, Texas, shares her experience supporting a mother with postpartum depression who found encouragement and friendship through a Facebook group.
• Memes can also portray mental health struggles as trendy or appealing rather than focusing on the actual difficulties these issues cause.
• Prioritize providing the essential first-level information that the public needs to know.

A significant body of research demonstrates cross-cultural differences in beliefs about the cause of mental illness. This may be partly due to our inclusion criteria of English papers only but may also reflect cultural differences in beliefs and attitudes toward mental health. For instance, growing evidence suggests a positive association between media coverage of suicidal behaviors and subsequent suicide rates (termed the “Werther” effect), especially when suicide reports are large-scale and sensationalized (Domaradzki, 2021). Harmful campaign impacts may occur if contents of the campaign are triggering for individuals struggling with mental illness.

The media can have a profound impact on how mental health issues are perceived by the general public. These articles may have increased awareness of mental health, its services and treatment, and were often related to events such as medical conferences and the dissemination of new research findings. All newspapers published articles with a positive tone under the category of ‘medical reports’ and ‘general information’.