How The African Media Can Report On Mental Health More Professionally
With the recent increase in the reports of suicide the discussion of mental health has become a topic of interest to the Media. More media outlets and personnel are now focusing beyond the traditional argument that mental health is a result of witchcraft. Journalists are now drawing towards the direction that they maybe a medical and psychological explanation towards these strange behaviours and suicides. This need to understand the state of a person wellbeing and how that affects their coping skills, life stressors, genetic conditions and their productivity can cause them to misrepresent mental health conditions in the media negatively. I will shed some light on some key issues on how to report on mental health and where journalists sometimes get it wrong.
1. Avoid the Misuse of Mental Health Words:
- It is crucial that journalist or media personnel should refrain from incorrectly using mental health words. It will create a false meaning and belief towards those who maybe suffering from it. For example, I’m really ‘depressed’ because I forgot my phone at home and I’m waiting for an important call. In this context, ‘depressed’ has been misused. What this person is feeling is irritated. Thou your feelings at that moment were powerful, they are not considered a mental illness. Therefore the causal use of depressed shouldn’t have been used.
- It is highly important that the meaning behind mental health words are understood because it really affects society’s mind set, belief, attitude and their support towards those people who maybe dealing with the illness in their lives.
2. Asking Advice from a Mental Professional Before an Interview:
- It is important that a journalist or media personnel should speak to a mental health professional before interviewing a person with a history of mental health. This will allow journalists to be sensitive in handling interviews of this nature. It will also allow them to understand the sensitivity of the knowledge behind the topic that they are openly discussing. Through this manner it will allow them to handle the person with dignity and confidentiality while refraining from re-triggering their previous trauma or making them feel discomfort.
3. Include Mental Professionals in Interviews and Forums:
- When handling a mental case in the media it is highly advise that a mental health professional should be in attendance. Otherwise any opinion they may give would be on the bases of their own personal advice, therefore causing it to be biases and unprofessional.
- When a mental health professional is in attendance they will be able to give medical advice on to handle the signs and symptoms of presenting mental health illness.
4. The Mental health Department has Specialised Professionals:
The mental health field has different specialisation that cater for different conditions. It is important to understand which professionals handles which mental health case. Here are the key mental health professional:
- A psychiatrist is a trained medical doctor that handles medication management of a patients that may be suffering from conditions such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Schizoaffective Disorder, Anxiety, OCD, Psychosis, Depression, Attempted suicide. They mainly work with conditions diagnosed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental health (DSM-5). The DSM-5 a medical manual book with a full text of diagnostic criteria with signs and symptoms for all mental health conditions.
- A clinical psychologist handles the same cases as a psychiatrist and also use the DSM-5 (they usually work together). However, they conduct behavioural intervention while using psychological assessment tools. They also conduct talk therapy with a specific designed treatment plan for their patients.
- A educational psychologist are trained psychologist that handled the emotional, psychological, social problems and learning disabilities of students. They attempt to improve the process of their students learning in school.
- A counsellor is trained to help people achieve better emotional wellbeing and understanding about themselves and to help people improve their life choices. For instance, counsellors could handle cases such as parenting struggles, life stressors, martial problems, sleep problems and addictions.
5. Advertising for Mental health:
- When advertising for a mental health conversation or forum the advert should not be sensational but informative. For example, don’t fixate on one story or disclose one name when more than one person is discussing about their experience. You should instead put all the names or not. Make sure in such a set up a mental health professional should be there to mediate the conversation. That way they would be more content that would be educational and you would avoid the individuals being triggered.
