Frames of Mental Illness in an Indian Daily Newspaper

A qualitative framing analysis of a sample of stories on mental illness (N = 177) in The Times of India, India's largest-selling English language broadsheet newspaper, was conducted. Specifically, frames were examined for whether, and if so, how they challenged or perpetuated mental illness stigma. Two predominant frames were identified: people with mental illness are a danger to themselves and others and mental illness can be caused and treated in various ways. Frames had a mix of positive and negative aspects-some that challenged stigma and others that perpetuated it. For example, stories typically attributed mental illness to socioenvironmental, not biological determinants, reflecting a tension between traditional cultural and neurobiological conceptions of mental illness. Such framing could reduce stigma by placing responsibility for recovering from mental illness on the community, not on the individual. However, it could increase stigma by suggesting that mental disorders are not legitimate medical disorders. Also, people with mental illness were rarely quoted, thereby perpetuating stigma by implying, for example, that they are not capable of being interviewed. This study contributes to understanding of how stigma and anti-stigma frames about mental illness are constructed by media in a non-Western sociocultural context. The findings have implications for news coverage of mental illness as well as for the design of anti-stigma interventions in India.