Quick Tips to Improve Mental Health Reporting

Checklist for Reporting on Mental Illness

• Write with awareness that people with mental illness face prejudice and discrimination.
• Ask, "Is mental illness relevant to the story?"
• Verify statements that mental illness is a factor in a violent crime.  A past history of mental illness is not necessarily a reliable indicator.
• Avoid using language that implies people with mental illness are violent.
• In stories on mental illness and violence, provide context whenever possible.  Most people with mental illness are no more likely to commit violent crimes than a person who has not been diagnosed with mental illness.
• Use People First Language.
• Avoid using stereotypical words or phrases in describing people with mental illness.
• Be sensitive when using photographs for stories involving mental health issues. 
• Double-check specific symptoms of diagnoses with valid mental health resources, as necessary.
• When possible, emphasize that treatment is available and effective, recovery happens and prevention works. 
• When interviewing a person with a mental illness, be clear and repeat important information and give the interviewee ample time to answer the questions posed.