News Release, 8 December 2003
Mind, Maca, Mad Pride, Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Media, No Force, Consumer Consultancy, Media Action Group, Rethink, Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, UKAN
Recent media coverage risks placing a massive burden of stigma on those experiencing mental distress, mental health charity chief executives and mental health service user organisations have said today.
The chief executives of six national charities and five mental health service user organisations have joined together to warn about the impact of pejorative coverage of people with mental health problems in the media in the last month.
The 11 groups today made this statement:
"There has been a feeding frenzy of media attention on the very small number of people with mental health problems who pose a risk to others' safety. The tragic case of Anthony Hardy has created an exaggerated sense of danger in media reporting of mental health issues.
Media-generated scandals about dangerous people 'roaming the streets' demonise thousands of people who pose no threat to public safety. They may also violate the human rights of some of their subjects.
People with severe mental illnesses already face isolation, discrimination and harassment in their daily lives. Heightened public fears about 'monsters', 'maniacs' and 'danger men' serve only to increase these difficulties and breed discrimination.
The media have a responsibility to report these matters sensitively, not sensationally. Further education for some journalists would help to address this."
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