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A Research Agenda Concerning Depictions of Mental Illness in Children’s Media

Dr. Coverdale is affiliated with the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Medical Ethics at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and with the Division of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Dr. Coverdale is also Associate Editor for Academic Psychiatry. Dr. Nairn is affiliated with the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Dr. Nairn is also Honorary Research Associate at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Address correspondence to Dr. Coverdale, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM 350, Houston, Texas 77030; jhc{at}bcm.tmc.edu (E-mail). Manuscripts authored by an Editor of Academic Psychiatry or a member of its Editorial Board undergo the same editorial review process, including blinded peer review, applied to all manuscripts. Additionally, the Editor is recused from any editorial decision making. Copyright © 2006 Academic Psychiatry.

OBJECTIVE: To review research on depictions of mental illness in mass media directed to children and to identify requirements for further research in this important field. METHODS: The authors identified published research on depictions of mental illness in children's media and the important strengths and weaknesses of such research. RESULTS: Only four relevant studies and one collection of reviews of children's books were found. Three of the studies focused on depictions of mental illness in film, and one study focused on depictions of mental illness in television. While some depictions evoked sympathy, others were frightening and denigrating. There was often insufficient data necessary to ascertain how researchers engaged with the language and visual imagery of the medium.CONCLUSIONS: There is an insufficient amount of research in this area. In particular, there is a need to determine how children attribute meaning to depictions of mental illness in children’s media.

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