Media in mental health: an approach to conceptualize the media’s role in the help-seeking of people suffering from mental health issues

ABSTRACT

Talking about mental health conditions is still not commonplace in contemporary societies. This is despite data suggesting that many people around the globe suffer from diverse mental health issues. This submission offers a comprehensive theoretical model–the Media in Mental Health Model (MMH Model)–that conceptualizes the role of the media in explaining why some people with mental health issues seek help while others do not. In doing so, it proposes one possible explanation for how media consumption can influence help-seeking behavior by introducing, reducing, or reinforcing existing stigma, influencing thwarted belongingness, and impacting perceived burdensomeness. Finally, this paper proposes an agenda for future research that primarily aims to unravel the media’s potential to dismantle existing stigma and support help-seeking behavior.

KEYWORDS:

• Mental health
• media
• theoretical model
• help-seeking
• stigma
• thwarted belongingness
• perceived burdensomeness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 It is important to acknowledge that these numbers often rely on self-screening measures, potentially leading to a bias in numbers.

2 In this paper, we conceptualize all hypotheses on a between-person level. However, following a perspective of mental health interventions, they can be transferred or re-formulated on a within-person level.