[csaa-forum] 'Talking about Mental health in the Media' 8 Sept, 6.30pm USYD Law Foyer

[Gerard Goggin]

‘ Talking about Mental Health in the Media’ - panel event
Tuesday 8 Sept, 6.30-8pm
University of Sydney – Law School Foyer – all welcome

Co-presented with Department of Media and Communications<http://sydney.edu.au/arts/media_communications/> and Sydney Medical School<http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/> at the University of Sydney

Details below, and at: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2015/mental_health_media_forum.shtml

About 'Talking About Mental Health in the Media'
Mental health is an epochal challenge for Australian society. According to statistics from national mental health organisation beyondblue, 45 percent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.

In the past decade, we have seen an increasing interest in publicly discussing mental health issues, such as causes and trajectories of illnesses, but also stigmatisation of mental health problems. This has also resulted in increased media attention to such topics, in particular in TV programs and news reporting.

The media plays a pivotal role in bringing topics around mental health to the public’s attention; therefore it is important to critically reflect on how we discuss mental health issues on such public platforms. Well informed and matter of fact portrayal and reporting can increase knowledge of and understanding for mental illness. On the other hand sensationalistic, stereotypical and disrespectful reporting can be harmful and increase mental health related stigma and self-stigma.

In this panel we will reflect, from different perspectives, on the most recent developments of how mental health issues are portrayed and discussed in the mainstream media, with a focus on news and TV programs in particular. While trying to identify ongoing issues, we will also be discussing how the future of mental health reporting can and should look like and what particular topics might need more attention.

Join our debate with experts from the fields of journalism, media studies, mental health, mental health campaigning and the government’s national media initiative to discuss these important matters.

Panellists:

Georgie Harman was appointed as the CEO of beyondblue<https://www.beyondblue.org.au/> in May 2014. Georgie has worked in the community, public and private sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom in policy development and service delivery. Previously, she was the Deputy CEO of Australia’s National Mental Health Commission. From 2006-2012, Georgie was a senior executive at the Commonwealth Department of Health where she had national responsibility for mental health, suicide prevention and substance misuse policy and programs. She was one of the architects of the 2011 National Mental Health Reform Budget package. At the same time, she was responsible for the strategy and development of legislation to introduce plain packaging of tobacco products in Australia – a world first. Before that Georgie led national reforms to lift Australia’s organ and tissue donation and transplantation rates.

Sophie Scott is the national medical reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, in addition to being a prominent public speaker. Sophie has won numerous award and accolades for excellence in medical and health journalism, including multiple awards from various professional medical Colleges. Sophie’s reports appear on the ABC news, Lateline, and 7:30. She hosts the Health Quarter on ABC News 24. In 2005, Sophie received the Health Research in the Media award at the Research Australia "Thank You" Day Awards, in 2004, she won the Australian Museum Eureka award for medical reporting. She won the Luminous Award for cancer reporting in 2012. Sophie is on the board of the Australian Medical Association Charitable Foundation NSW and is the author of two books, Live a Longer Lfe and Roadtesting Happiness. Visit her blog at www.sophiescott.com.au<http://www.sophiescott.com.au/>.

Jaelea Skehan is Director of the Hunter Institute for Mental Health, and an internationally respected leader in the prevention of mental illness and the prevention of suicide. Jaelea has worked across a range of settings and sectors and has been instrumental in the development of flagship programs for the Institute including national work with the media under Mindframe<http://www.mindframe-media.info/home/about-mindframe>, workplace mental health programs, suicide prevention programs and many others. She is a registered psychologist and holds a conjoint appointment with the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle. Jaelea is also currently completing her PHD in Psychiatry, exploring how evidence in suicide prevention can best be translated and integrated into the practice of sectors outside of health and mental health.

Gerard Goggin is Professor of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney. Currently he is also an ARC Future Fellowship, studying disability, digital technology, and human rights. Gerard’s books include Routledge Companion to Disability and the Media (2017), Disability and the Media (2015; with Katie Ellis), and, with Christopher Newell, Disability in Australia (2005) and Digital Disability (2003).

Bettina Friedrich (panel chair) is research psychologist and currently working as postdoctoral researcher at the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney. She is the Disability Action Plan Coordinator for the School of Medicine at the University of Sydney. Before moving to Australia, she has conducted research in the fields of clinical psychology, mental health stigma and health communication during academic appointments in Germany, Scotland, England and the USA. Bettina is also founder and editor of a newsletter for the international mental health stigma network.

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Gerard Goggin
ARC Future Fellow
Professor of Media and Communications
Department of Media and Communications
University of Sydney

e: gerard.goggin at sydney.edu.au<applewebdata://58CAECF0-6F6E-47A3-9980-953EE0F9094E/gerard.goggin@sydney.edu.au>
p:  +61 2 9114 1218
m: +61 428 66 88 24
w: http://sydney.edu.au/arts/media_communications/staff/gerard_goggin.shtml

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