Mental Illness and Violence in the Media. An Illicit Association?

Abstract

In this article we hopes to respond to the various questions that arise when one considers the way in which the media presents mental illness associated with violence. To do so, a literature review was undertaken, including 81 original studies or previous reviews, in an attempt to understand what are the meanings that the media attributes to mental illness and why the researchers consider these meanings to be inadequate and stigmatizing. At the same time, what the research says with respect to the existence, or non-existence, of this association outside of the media was also analyzed. And, finally, different studies were examined that explain the strategies used by the media to construct this association.

The review allows us to conclude that the meanings attributed by the media, even if they contradict the opinions of professionals and experts, are effective and functional for commercial criteria.