Covering Mental Health:
A Resource Guide for Reporters and Editors
Melinda Voss's research and this special
pullout section were funded by the Henry
J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
This
guide grew out of a belief that journalists need to do a better
job of covering mental health issues. As a reporter writing
about health for the last six years or so, I must admit mental
health issues often took a back seat. It's easy to understand
why. Less than 10 percent of our health care dollars are spent
on mental health. Yet a look at some facts readily shows the
need for more ink, air time and Web space.
According
to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in ten Americans
experiences some disability from a diagnosable mental illness
every year. The most severe mental illnesses - schizophrenia,
manic-depressive illness, major depression, panic disorder
and obsessive-compulsive disorder - affect some five million
adults. In economic terms, mental disorders cost the U.S.
more than $150 billion a year for treatment, social services,
disability payments, lost productivity and premature mortality,
the institute estimates. Schizophrenia alone costs about $30
billion annually.The impact in human terms, of course, cannot
be so readily measured. Few
families escape dealing with mental illness. Mental disorders
do not respect age, race or gender. Add to that the misunderstanding,
fear and stigma associated with mental illnesses. The result
is a lot of misery.
In
compiling this guide, I discovered another compelling reason
to pay more attention to mental health issues: we're missing
a lot of good stories. Scientists are shedding new light on
the workings of the brain and the interplay between biology
and behavior. Studies are concluding that mental illnesses
can be diagnosed, treated, and, to an extent, prevented. Moreover,
treatment for some mental illnesses has a better track record
than what is done - no questions asked - for serious physical
ailments. Then,
too, there's the business of mental health. The stakes are
high. Who should pay for this care? Who should profit from
it and how much? When is it fair to deny care?
The
answers to these questions need to be debated. As journalists,
we must make sure the debate occurs in broad daylight. It's
a matter of fairness to all and the mental health of millions
of Americans. This guide is by no means complete. More sources
will inevitably identify themselves. Please contact me if
you have any questions or comments. After nearly twenty-six
years at The Des Moines Register, I am now pursuing
a master's degree in public health at the University of Minnesota.
And I am the coordinator of the newly formed Association of
Health Care Journalists (www.ahcj.umn.edu),
a national group dedicated to improving news coverage of health
care. My telephone number is (612) 292-0575. My E-mail is
voss0069@tc.umn.edu.
Contents:
Mental Health and:
