Berlin Zoo’s polar bear ‘Knut’ has made headlines for erratic and aggressive behaviour. News.com.au published AAP article ‘Polar bear Knut addicted to fame’ on 26.3.08.
In a link to a photo gallery above the article, the animal was dubbed a ‘bipolar bear’. The report also described the bear as a ‘publicity-addicted psycho’.

StigmaWatch contacted news.com.au to explain how some readers were distressed by the linking of  bipolar disorder and psychosis to animal behaviour and concerned the report could be misleading. StigmaWatch encourages all media professionals to refer to mental illness in context, to aid better understanding.