The depiction of people with schizophrenia in news media: A cross-national analysis

Background: Though people with schizophrenia have been habitually stigmatized in the media, the past two decades have seen a substantial rise in public awareness and anti-stigma intervention plans. Aims: In this comprehensive cross-national study, we examine the portrayal of people with schizophrenia in the news media across four countries: the U.S., the U.K., Russia, and Israel. Methods: We employed thematic content analysis to analyze 80 articles from four prominent middle-market and tabloid news media outlets. Results: Findings suggest people with schizophrenia were routinely depicted in the news media as violent and dangerous perpetrators who were typically young adult white males. Conclusions: Though some differences existed between venues in different countries, this study suggests that despite the rise in public awareness and anti-stigma intervention plans, the media overall - regardless of country origin - mostly failed to deliver the desired anti-stigma results.