Media Advisory Service
Mind’s Media Advisory Service helps producers, researchers and writers of soaps and dramas to create accurate, sensitive storylines about mental health.
Good portrayals of mental health can have a huge impact, helping people to understand their own experiences and get support.
Our research shows 1 in 5 people who tuned in to a mental health storyline in a soap or drama realised they were experiencing mental health problems, or had in the past.
We help programme makers to create stories that are true to life, to help challenge stigma and improve everyone’s understanding of mental health.
“I had never heard of post-partum psychosis. Luckily with the help of Mind, Eastenders put me in touch with some women who very kindly shared their stories with me. You are educating people on what is happening in the real world – you can lead people to help get a diagnosis.”
We helped Lacey Turner, who plays Stacey Fowler in Eastenders, to portray postpartum psychosis.
What does the Media Advisory Service offer?
We give advice on how to show mental health on screen. We:
- Advise on initial concepts and story outlines
- Give feedback on scripts
- Offer workshops exploring people’s real-life experiences
And we can support with the following topics:
- The emotional and social experience of living with a mental health problem
- Portraying diagnosis and treatment
- The journey through the mental health system
- Language
- Avoiding stigma and stereotypes
Want help from the Media Advisory Service?
For support with a soap or drama, email [email protected]
Portraying mental health on screen
Get our top tips for depicting a character's mental health on screen, and see how it can work in practice. Learn how to avoid myths and stereotypes, and check out our examples of where mental health on screen's been done well.
How to talk about mental health
See common examples of unhelpful language when talking about mental health in the media, and get ideas for what to say instead. Learn how to signpost safely, and get all the info you need on content warnings.
