The depiction of electroconvulsive therapy in the British press.
OBJECTIVE
It has been suggested that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) tends to be described in negative terms by some sections of the media. The aim of this survey was to examine the depiction of ECT in the British press.


METHODS
The word "ECT" and other related terms were entered into the Web site search facility of every British national newspaper.


RESULTS
The search returned 348 articles. Only 11% depicted ECT in a positive light, whereas 32% were negative. Among the negative articles, discourse analysis revealed 2 main semantic domains: "cruelty" and "ECT as a tool for repression."


CONCLUSIONS
Depictions of ECT in the British press tend to be either neutral or negative. Negative depictions of ECT may contribute to the stigma of mental illness, by marginalizing this treatment and therefore those severely ill patients who receive it.
Euba
Rafael
R
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Mental Health for Older People, Memorial Hospital, London, UK. Rafael.Euba@oxleas.nhs.uk
Crugel
Monica
M
D001290:Attitude; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D006801:Humans; D009524:Newspapers as Topic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D006113:United Kingdom