What is stigma?

Stigma against people with a mental illness often involves inaccurate and hurtful representations of them as violent, comical, or incompetent. The media play a major role in influencing public attitudes, and this includes attitudes to mental illness. That's why the StigmaWatch program was established, to tackle these attitudes at the source.

SANE reduces stigma in the media by improving community understanding of mental illness and its treatments through publications and resources, ongoing work with the media and through the StigmaWatch program.

SANE StigmaWatch monitors media portrayals of mental illness and suicide, to ensure they are accurate and respectful. It takes the media to task when these topics are covered inaccurately or irresponsibly, and – through the ‘Good News’ area – congratulates them on good coverage.

What is Good News?

The SANE StigmaWatch program also endorses progressive and helpful reporting and is part of the Mindframe National Media initiative, which encourages accurate and sensitive portrayals of mental illness and suicide in the media. 

In addition to monitoring the media for inappropriate or inaccurate reporting, the SANE StigmaWatch program also provides recognition for good coverage.

There are many examples of good media reporting, which as well as raising awareness, can actually work to de-stigmatise mental illness and suicide.

Good reporting can include:

• The inclusion of helpline numbers and websites for support services

• Following codes of practice for privacy, grief and trauma

• Relevant headline to the story content, not just referencing the mental illness

• Appropriate use of language, avoiding victimising words such as ‘afflicted’ or ‘suffers’ and correctly using medical terms

• Encouraging people to seek help

Common examples of stigma

Misuse of ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘schizophrenic’

‘Psycho’: using labels

The ‘dangerous’ stereotype

Suicide and self-harm: methods and locations

StigmaWatch in partnership 

SANE StigmaWatch is a program of the SANE Media Centre, which works in partnership with the National Media and Mental Health Group to provide expert advice to the Australian Government's Mindframe National Media Initiative.

The Mindframe Initiative is a comprehensive strategy that aims to influence media representation of mental illness and suicide, encouraging responsible, accurate and sensitive portrayals. The strategy includes a number of projects which focus on providing resources and education opportunities for media professionals, journalism students, the mental health and suicide prevention sector, police and courts, and those involved in the development of Australian film, television and theatre. 

SANE partners with the Mindframe project coordinator, the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, in addition to the Australian Network for Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health (Auseinet) and Multicultural Mental Health Australia, in managing this work.

The SANE Media Centre is supported by the Friends of SANE and receives funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing through the Mindframe Strategy.