Winners of the Mind Media Awards

Posted Tuesday 20 November 2012

Stephen Fry announces winners at Mind Media Awards 2012, sponsored by Friends Life

ITV’s Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, Emmerdale, and Channel 4’s Homeland were among the winners at last night's prestigious Mind Media Awards 2012, sponsored by Friends Life. 

The awards ceremony, hosted by Stephen Fry at the British Film Institute, brought Frankie Sandford, Denise Welch, Gok Wan and other celebrities together to celebrate the best portrayals and reporting of mental health in the media.

Piers Morgan’s Life stories won the first award, in the Factual Entertainment category. Through the series, celebrities including Frank Bruno, Rolf Harris and Peter Andre have spoken openly and honestly about their personal battles with mental health problems. The show brings in-depth discussion and debate about personal experiences to prime time audiences, providing a high profile platform to tell the real story of mental health.

The award for Soaps went to Emmerdale, for the character Zak Dingle. A long standing stalwart of soap land, Zak reached crisis point as he struggled to come to terms with his depression and the stigma that surrounded it. Script writers undertook deep consultation with Lol Butterfield, a case study who battled his own mental health problems, to create a storyline that avoided sensation for a realistic depiction of depression and psychosis. Actor Steve Halliwell and Lol were reunited at last night’s ceremony to celebrate the win.

The highly competitive drama category was won by Homeland, for Claire Danes’ three dimensional and compelling portrayal of bipolar disorder through her character, CIA agent Carrie.

The Saturday’s singer Frankie Sandford, who shared her own experiences of depression in Glamour magazine earlier this year, presented the Speaking Out award. The award, given to an individual with personal experience of mental distress, went to Vasoulla Savvidou who let cameras into her life to share her experiences of hoarding on the BBC 1 documentary Britain’s Biggest Hoarders. 

Frankie Sandford said:
“Speaking out about mental health problems can be hard for someone in the public eye, but it can be even harder for someone not used to publicity. In May this year, I gave an interview to Glamour magazine in which I talked for the first time about my own experience of depression and panic attacks. I know how hard that was and it is incredibly humbling to hear some of the first hand experience from those in the programmes featured here tonight.”

Stephen Fry said:
“As Mind’s President I’m thrilled to host this year’s Mind Media Awards. The media, in all its glorious incarnations, has enormous power to influence people’s perceptions of mental health, not least in being able to challenge the stigma that sadly still surrounds it.

“The Mind Media Awards is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate those actors, writers, programme makers, journalists and bloggers who are helping to dispel the myths around mental health and reduce discrimination.”

Paul Farmer, CEO of Mind said:
“The media has incredible potential to change opinions, shape attitudes and question existing stigmas. Tonight’s winners show just how powerful this can be. Entries to the Mind Media Awards were up by 20% this year - reflecting the increased prominence of this event, but more importantly, the strides taken in journalists’ readiness to cover mental health issues. It has made the job of choosing both our shortlist and our winners harder than ever.

The winners list is a showcase of sensitive depictions and delicate portrayals, which together have helped shape public opinion about what it means to experience a mental health problem.

“In a society where discrimination sadly does still frame mental health, we congratulate those who dared to challenge the stigma and tell the real story of mental health.”

David Williams, Director of Group Protection at Friends Life said:
“What an inspiring evening! Having well known celebrities talking freely about their own mental health issues and all this evening’s nominees and winners sharing their stories, contributes to the increasing ‘openness’ around this important workplace issue. There is work to do and Friends Life will continue to support activities that raise awareness of mental health issues. We will also continue to focus our activities on delivering services and support for employers and their employees in preventing mental health absence, assisting staff back to work and acting as an all important financial safety net if it results in long term absence.”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/www-mind-org-uk/sets/72157632058529814/show/

The full list of winners at the Mind Media Awards 2012:

Documentary
Britain’s Biggest Hoarders (BBC One)
Presenter Jasmine Harman follows her mother, Vasoulla, and two others who all experience hoarding. A look at the strain hoarding can put on a whole family.

Drama
Homeland (Channel 4)
Claire Danes plays Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer who has bipolar disorder. Through the series she struggles to hide her condition, fearful she’ll lose her job if her mental health diagnosis is discovered.

Soap
Emmerdale (ITV)
Presented for  Zak Dingle’s storyline - having long enjoyed his position as head of the family, Zak finds it incredibly hard to accept his diagnosis of depression. He battles feelings of weakness and tries to hide his experiences from his family.

The Mark Hanson Digital Media Award
http://mentalhealthcop.wordpress.com
A useful resource accessed by both police officers and service users, clearly explaining the legal processes, police procedures and human and civil rights associated with mental health problems.

Speech Radio
Henry’s Demons (BBC Radio 4)
Henry tells his story of schizophrenia and his experience of hearing voices that urged him to swim across Newhaven Estuary. His account is intercut with those of his mother and father, who is war correspondent Patrick Cockburn.

Features & Factual Entertainment
Piers Morgan’s Life Stories (ITV)
Piers Morgan's primetime biographical chat show invites celebrity guests to share their life experiences. Frank Bruno, Rolf Harris, Peter Andre and Paul Gascoigne have all spoken openly about their own mental health problems.

News and current affairs, Sponsored by Samaritans
Antipsychotic Drugs for Kids (Channel 4 News)
An investigation into how health professionals are treating children with behavioural problems. It uncovered a dramatic rise in the use of powerful antipsychotic drugs, and a shocking absence of monitoring.

Journalist of the Year, sponsored by AXA PPP healthcare
Julia George (BBC Radio Kent)
Presented for Julia’s morning show, which regularly focuses on mental health issues, uncovering the real-life concerns faced by many who listen across the county. The audience have shared their experiences of depression, suicide, body image and addiction through calls, emails, texts and tweets, motivated by Julia’s sensitive approach.

Student Journalist of the Year
Ashley Hamer (London College of Communication)
For her final year project, Ashley recorded the intimate story of a mother and her son who regularly self-harms. An incredibly personal portrayal which gets to the heart of the issues involved.

Making a Difference, sponsored by Havas Worldwide London
Sunday Express ‘Crusade for better mental health’
Spearheaded by the paper’s editor Martin Townsend, two of the paper’s journalists Ted Jeory and Lucy Johnston made an unprecedented commitment to mental health. The campaign’s stated aim was to create a public debate in which we start thinking and talking about mental health in the same way as we do physical health.

Speaking Out, sponsored by Comic Relief
Vasoulla Savvidou, Britain’s Biggest Hoarders (BBC One)
Vasoulla Savvidou opened up about her hoarding to her daughter, Jasmine Harman in Britain’s Biggest Hoarders.  This meant reliving a difficult childhood which followed the violent death of her adored father and being uprooted from her home in Cyprus to start a new, life in England. Vasoulla particularly impressed the judges by her honesty and bravery in talking openly about her experiences

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