Information about, and portrayals of, mental health and mental disorders can be found in all forms of media (e.g. TV, Radio, Movies, Podcasts, Social Media, Newspapers etc.), and the way that they are discussed, shown, or represented can have important implications for people’s understanding of this topic. Your assignment will allow you to find some of this information, reflect on it, explore the academic literature that is available about mental health in the media, and discuss the impact of media on our understanding of mental health.
There are four parts to this paper:
1. Discuss TWO examples of mental health disorders being discussed or portrayed in the media (any type of media source – e.g., movies, TV shows, news article, podcast, Instagram reel, etc.). Summarize and Reflect on the information (1-1.5 pages)
Summarize the information.
For TV shows, movies, etc.: Briefly describe the individual/group/illness how they are portrayed, and any other relevant information.
For a newspaper article or podcast, briefly summarize the source and how the individual/group/illness is being presented.
For a social media post, summarize the content and how the individual/group/illness was being presented and the types of comments that were being made about the post.
For all media sources, be sure to identify the year of publication and the publisher of the content.
Reflect on the information.
Based on the information you have learned in this course, is the representation/portrayal of the mental health disorder accurate? Is it flawed? In what way? What are the possible repercussions of this media (positive, negative, misleading information etc.)? What is missing from the portrayal?
2. Find (THREE) peer-reviewed, academic journal articles that discuss mental health in the media (2.5-3 pages).
Summarize the articles and discuss and similarities/differences in the three articles.
Consider: What was the media source discussed, were there participants? If so, who were they? What were the findings? What is the main conclusion of the article – the take-home message? Remember to bring all three articles together, what were the similarities/differences etc.
3. Based on the academic research that you have read, choose one of the media sources you presented in part one of this assignment and provide the publisher/producer of the media source with feedback/suggestions.
Consider:
Did they do a good job of accurately portraying the mental health disorder? If so, tell them why – using your three articles as references.
What could they do to improve their media in the future? Give them some suggestions using the three articles as references. (you must provide at least one referenced suggestion for improvement)
Let them know the potential implications of their media (using your three articles as references)
4. Write a concluding Paragraph (.5-1 page)
What is the main takeaway from this assignment, given what you learned, what are the broader implications of media representation of mental health, in general? For society? Or understanding ourselves?
Your assignment must include a title page indicating your name, course title: PSYC2030, and the date of submission. The assignment must include at least three academic (peer-reviewed) references, and two media references and should be no less than five and no more than six double-spaced pages in length with 1-inch margins written in 12- point Times New Roman font.
APA style must be used when referencing and a reference list must be included at the end of the assignment (you need to properly reference your academic and media content), but you do not have to adhere to any of the other rules of APA (e.g., running heads, manuscript headers, etc.); although using headings and subheadings can help you structure your assignment.
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