A study on the representation of mental disorders in Turkish newspapers

Abstract

Background Newspapers that address mental disorders affect health care positively or negatively and can affect the public’s perspective with the way they explain mental disorders. Aims To examine the representation of news about mental disorders published in Turkish newspapers. Methods Using the document analysis method, 230 news about mental disorders published in the six most read newspapers in 2022 were examined. Results It has been concluded that the descriptive characteristics of individuals with mental disorders are often stated, schizophrenia and psychotic disorders are mentioned most, mental disorders are associated with delinquency and violent behaviour, these people are mostly represented by being detained as a result of the events, and negative concepts are frequently used in newspaper reports. Five sub-themes were determined under the main theme of “Negative Concepts”: “Exaggerated Discourses”, “Stigmatizing Discourses”, “Discourses Targeting Mental Health”, “Discourses That May Cause Negative Emotions”, “Discourses Containing Misdescription”. Conclusions Newspaper items about mental disorders are represented as stigmatizing and misleading by using negative concepts. The sensitivity of media workers, the development of mental health policies and cooperation with mental health workers contribute to the recovery process of individuals with mental disorders.