The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #64012

Teresa Mastin, PhD, School of Journalism, Middle Tennessee State University, Box 64, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, 615-904-8239, tmastin@mtsu.edu

It is estimated that 22.1%, or one in five Americans 18 years of age and older, suffer from a mental illness in any given year. Four of the ten leading causes of disability in the United States are mental illnesses—depressive disorders, i.e., major depression and bipolar, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. Yet, there remains a lack of support for mental health services and mental health consumers, which has been linked to widespread misinformation about mental illness among the general public. For more than a decade, mental health organizations have waged an aggressive campaign to educate the public about depressive disorders, the group of mental illnesses that affects most Americans. One strategy has been to provide information crafted in laymen’s terms to media that target general audiences. In this study, we consider four women’s magazines’— Essence, Ladies Home Journal, Ms. and Working Woman— coverage of mental illness during the 1990s. Depressive disorders were covered most often; schizophrenia was covered least often. Results indicate women’s magazine editors responded favorably to efforts made by mental health organizations to educate the general public about depression. It is suggested that the mental health community use a similar strategy to educate the general public about other mental illnesses that affect a substantial number of Americans.

Learning Objectives: 1) Comparison of coverage of mental illnesses in women’s magazines, 2) mental illnesses most/least often addressed in women’s magazines, and 3) status of mental illness education as reflected in women’s magazines.

Learning Objectives:

Learning Objectives:
• Comparison of coverage of mental illnesses in women’s magazines,
• mental illnesses most/least often addressed in women’s magazines, and
• status of mental illness education as reflected in women’s magazines.

Keywords: Mental Health, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.