representing issues media diary week 4 -mental health in the media

Mental health is portrayed in a number of different ways throughout the media through difffernt media types and texts to the overall message and feelings a audience has towards mental health, due to the way the media text has shown it.

Mental health in soaps: EastEnders Stacy Branning storyline

This EastEnders storyline follows Stacy Branning, a mum who since giving birth to her baby son Arthur at Christmas,has been battelig with postpardom phsycosis - a condition which can cause new mums to suffer extreme hallucinations.Stacy believes that her baby is the recarnation of Christ and through upsetting and emotional scenes the audience is able to see the devastating effects mental health can have of a family and a community.This storyline represents mental health in a negative way, but also raies awareness and shows sympathy and empathy for Stacy.This is because a great deal of new mums can experience and relate to this mental illness.It also appeals to the need for nurture in a way as it involves a baby and her mother provking sympathy from the start

How mental health was presented in old newspapers

Not that long ago having a mental illness was frowned upon and something used as a excuse for just being strange and not fitting in. We can see this through these two front pages about Britney spears going "mad" and shaving her head following a number of outbursts in the middle of her career. The news ridiculed her for this instead of being concerned about the reasons she was doing this and what effect it would have on her. We can see a number of puns and jokey comments in these articles, making them seem like something to be made fun of despite their seriousness.