Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Dec 2020)

An Exploratory Analysis of the Portrayal of Mental Illness in Qatar’s Newspapers

  • Zolezzi M,
  • Elshami S,
  • Obaidi W

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 13
pp. 1323 – 1332

Abstract

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Monica Zolezzi,1 Sara Elshami,1 Warda Obaidi2 1Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; 2Pharmacy Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, QatarCorrespondence: Monica ZolezziClinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, QatarTel +974 4403 5623Fax +974 4403 5551Email [email protected]: Concerns have been raised about the role of the media influencing the public’s understanding of mental illness.Aim: This study explored the extent and nature of mental health coverage in Qatar’s newspapers. A secondary aim was to compare the mental health-related coverage with that of diabetes.Methods: This was a retrospective quantitative and qualitative analysis of textual data published in Qatari newspapers. Quantitative descriptive analysis was employed to determine the extent of media coverage while qualitative content analysis was employed to examine the discourse tone and assess the stigmatization of the main messages on the text.Results: A total of 659 mental health-related articles were published; the main focus of the articles was on autism, depression, and non-pharmacological therapies for mental illness. Analysis of the retrieved articles revealed a predominantly informative content, with mostly non-stigmatizing tone except for non-national news that often linked mental illness with dangerousness or violence. A higher number of articles with mental health-related content than about diabetes were found.Conclusion: Although the newspaper content analysis revealed mostly a non-stigmatizing tone in mental health reporting in newspapers, there is a need to increase representation of people with mental illness in print media, increase awareness of the diversity of treatments available, and increase more scientific reporting to raise mental health literacy in Qatar.Keywords: mental health, newspapers, portrayal, media, stigma

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