In place of Mind's annual Media Awards this year, the mental health charity recently celebrated some of the best portrayals of mental health on screen that have helped shaped people’s understanding of mental health. Stories including Zak Dingle's depression in Emmerdale, Stacey Fowler's post-partum psychosis in EastEnders and the David Harewood documentary Psychosis and Me are among the programmes singled out for praise. You can read more about these and other programmes here.
These programmes are relevant to the understanding and recognition of mental health in the wider community. Fieldwork carried out on behalf of Mind and ITV has discovered that one in five people (22 per cent) who saw a mental health storyline on a TV soap or drama realised that they had a mental health problem, or had experienced one in the past.
The fieldwork was carried out between 6th and 8th November, during the second national lockdown. In response to the findings Mind Chief Executive Paul Farmer has said that broadcasting accurate, sensitive storylines around mental health have never been more important.
“This year, lockdowns and restrictions have meant that people are watching more TV than ever, and a huge number of us are seeing soaps and dramas featuring mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. At a time when it’s harder to see loved ones and look after our own mental health, these stories are helping people to recognise when they’re struggling and prompting them to seek help.
“It’s clear from this research that mental health storylines are popular and broadcasters are committed to making them. We now need to see more air time given to conditions such as schizophrenia, psychosis and post-natal depression which are still stigmatised and poorly understood.”
More details of the Mind/ITV findings can be found on the national Mind website here.
