title: Analyzing media representations of mental illness: lessons learnt from a national project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Much research suggests that the general public relies on the popular media as its main source of information about mental illness. Assessing media representations of people with mental illness is vitally important, given that research suggests that the media exerts a strong, often negative, influence on public attitudes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Few specific methodological guidelines exist to help researchers conducting media analyses. The aim of this article is to describe lessons learnt from over 2 years of experience conducting a large-scale systematic national project analyzing media portrayals of mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  We do this by presenting and discussing five of the biggest challenges (and associated solutions) that have faced us as we have progressed in our national study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These are as follows: (i) defining relevant search terms; (ii) developing appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria; (iii) creating a coding scheme; (iv) choosing strategies of analysis and dissemination and (v) staffing and training issues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is our hope that the information purveyed in this article may help those analyzing media representations of mental illness elsewhere.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Verdun (Québec), Canada. robert.whitley@mcgill.ca
authors: Rob
authors: R
authors: Whitley
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Berry
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D001523:Mental Disorders; D012107:Research Design