A discourse analysis of the construction of mental illness in two UK newspapers from 1985-2000

Citation

Paterson B (2007) A discourse analysis of the construction of mental illness in two UK newspapers from 1985-2000. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 28 (10), pp. 1087-1103. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840701581206

Abstract
This study explored the discourse of mental illness contained within two UK newspapers over a 15-year period, excluding those stories that mentioned any reference to a diagnosis. Using frame analysis, a form of discourse analysis, ten distinct frames were identified and classified into 'stories.' These ten stories were categorized as: foreign, legal, drug, feature, trauma, tragedy, community care tragedy, social policy, inquiry report, and sports/celebrity stories. Each frame is described and the potential influence of such frames on both social policy and nursing practice is discussed.

Keywords
analysis; care; Communities; community; community care; CONSTRUCT; CONSTRUCTION; Diagnosis; discourse; Discourse analysis; Feature; frame; ILLNESS; inquiry; mental; Mental illness; Newspapers; Nursing; Nursing Practice; PERIOD; policies; Policy; Practice; Psychiatric nursing; Scotland; Social policy; SOCIAL-POLICY; Stirling; story; TRAGEDY; TRAUMA; UK; UK newspapers; universities

Journal
Issues in Mental Health Nursing: Volume 28, Issue 10