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31In depth analysis of BBC coverage of mental health issues
Gaidarenko V.A.
Financial University under the Government of Russian Federation
The concept «mental health» is considered in the article. Analysis of the research material showed that in mass media discourse the concepts are verbalized in such a way that they have strong pragmatic impact on the person whom they are addressed to. Certain verbs and word combinations are frequently used for focusing the addressee's attention on particular issues and ways of solving specific mental health problems. In our research we singled out conceptual fields which are created for the pragmatic purposes mentioned above. The two conceptual fields are singled out on the basis of analysis of a number of mass media sources (BBC news programs). Since the verbalizations mentioned in the table are profiled in mass media on a regular basis certain pragmatic effect is created with the purpose of emphasizing BBC agenda concerning solution of the above mentioned problems.
The concept «mental health» is not confined by medical and psychological dimensions. It also contains social group dimensions which regulate spiritual life of individuals. British scientists focus attention on spiritual and social characteristics of the concept. They specifically point out that preventive measures needed to be implemented to tackle mental illnesses. Government officials started paying attention to the issue of mental health as virtual life of teenagers is causing serious concern. Of particular importance here are such negative phenomena as cyber bulling, cyber stalking and cyber harassment. Brainwashing of teenagers by radical extremists is also causing concern. Key words: mass media, mental health issues, addiction
Психическое здоровье в зеркале зарубежных СМИ (на базе анализа освещения вопросов психического здоровья телеканалом BBC) Гайдаренко Вадим Анатольевич
кандидат филологических наук, доцент Департамента языковой подготовки, ФГБОУ ВПО «Финансовый университет при Правительстве РФ», vadim.gaidarenko@mail.ru
В нашей статье мы затронули вопросы освещения вопросов психического или эмоционального здоровья известным британским телеканалом ББС. Зарубежные журналисты фокусируют внимание на психических нарушениях и болезнях, превалирующих в современной Британии и инновационных способах терапевтического воздействия в случаях возникновения подобных недугов. В статье затрагиваются вопросы обучения и терапевтического общения с помощью новых цифровых технологий на базе зарубежного опыта (проанализированы идеи, представленные в новостных и документальных передачах телеканала BBC). Дистанционные психотерапевтические консультации рассматриваются как перспективное направление лечения и профилактики психических болезней, а также метод психологического обучения. В статье представлены выводы, которые касаются прагматического аспекта воздействия определенных слов и словосочетаний на сознание читателя.
Ключевые слова: психотерапевтические консультации, психические недуги, психическое здоровье, приложение, психологическая адаптация, Всемирная Организация Здравоохранения
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Introduction
Mental health issues have been prominently featured in BBC reports recently. In our research we analyze BBC video reports and single out the most effective ways to make a point concerning measures to be taken to tackle the problem from the perspective of BBC journalists. We categorized the reports into "the so called" pragmatic sections. Every section has relevance to the issues singled out. The first section deals with measures taken by the British government to tackle the issues. Attaching stigma to the problem is believed to be the major issue and challenge that a lot people suffering from mental diseases have. Covering the issue widely in BBC reports and creating the atmosphere of empathy and compassion has become one of the most important aspect which BBC journalists, covering mental health issues, have focused on. Stories of people who have been able to overcome their mental health problems and interviews with members of the royal family have contributed to people believing that their mental health problems are solvable and help is at hand in the form of government sponsored psychological and psychiatric consultations online or physically. The appointment of Minister for Suicide Prevention has been the ultimate proof that British government attaches much importance to fighting mental health diseases.
A purely biological view of mental ill health locates the problem firmly within the head of the individual, and as a society this is dangerous because it absolves us of the responsibility, the need, to examine ourselves. Imagine a lung cancer specialist who refuses to talk about the link between smoking and lung cancer. I'm sure the comparison is simplistic but I don't believe it's entirely inaccurate either. Which is not to say that biology doesn't play a part as well. But as a society there's little we can do to tackle the causes of mental ill health on a biological level. Whereas, with adequate will and commitment, there is absolutely masses that could be done to create a mentally healthier environment for children and adults alike.
This is why mental health must be seen as an urgent political and social issue, as well as a biological and psychological one. And it's not just a question of responding to the needs of people with mental health problems, though this is of course important, but of being prepared, as a society, to consider what we might do to reduce people's risk of developing them in the first place. I'd like to see a programme on that. Clare Allan1
Theresa May's focus on mental illness in her first major speech on health will in itself raise the profile of the issue and reaffirm the drive to achieve true "parity of esteem" with physical health.
1 www. bbc. co. uk Tue 1 Mar 2016 11.00 GMT Last modified on
Wed 14 Feb 2018 21.21 GMT
Promoting mental health first aid training in schools in England illustrates the prime minister's desire to see this as more than an NHS-only issue.
But there is no new Treasury money for the plans. Funding for care is still challenging. NHS Providers, representing mental health and other trusts, predicts the share of local NHS budgets devoted to mental health will fall next year.
Ministers will argue money isn't everything but it remains an unresolved part of the mental health agenda.2
"The online friends I made five or six years ago I'm still friends with to this day and have met many of them in person."3
Materials and methods
We applied the method of semantic and pragmatic analysis of BBC video reports and analysis of governmental documents, dealing with the issue.
Results and discussion
We have categorized the pragmatic aspect of BBC reports into the following pragmatic sections:
1.Creating empathy with the sufferer. First hand reports about people who have suffered from mental health problems and been successfully treated make people identify with the victim and appeal for help in case they are experiencing the same problems.
Isla is in her early 20s. She got hooked on social media as a teenager when going through a difficult time in her life.
"The online communities made me feel included and that I was worthwhile.
"However, I soon began to neglect 'real life' friendships and constantly spent all my time online talking to my friends there.
"I fell into a deep depressive episode aged 16, which lasted for months and was utterly horrible.
"During this time social media made me feel worse, as I would constantly compare myself to other people and make myself feel bad.
"When I was 19, I had another bad depressive episode. I'd go on social media, see all my friends doing things and hate myself for not being able to do them, or feel bad that I wasn't as good a person as them. "Image copyright ISLA WHATELEY
Social media has also been a positive in Isla's life.
"I have blogged a lot about mental health and I'm quite open about it and have good conversations with people about it.
"I find it gives me a platform to talk and talking with people is something I find imperative to my own health.4
2.Encouraging people to join clubs for those who have experienced mental health problems.
Socializing with people who suffered from the same mental health problems contributes to establishing close-knit relations in the format of entertainment and recreation. Covering stories about existing so-
cieties can encourage people to join the clubs or establish their own online or physical communities of like-minded individuals. (Mental Health Matesfeature BBC London News.youtube.com 19 июля 2016BBC London,mental health,Bryony Gordon,Mental Health Mates,peer support, wellbeing, men...)5
3. Interviewing high -ranking government officials about mental health issues helps people realize that mental health has become one of the priorities for the government and hard questions and challenging interviews are raising the profile of the issue. (David Cameron: 'We need to end stigma of mental health' - BBC News m.yaaya.video 6 October 2017 Download David Cameron: 'We need to end stigma of mental health' - BBC News.)6
4. Interviewing prominent psychologists and psychiatrists helps people learn more about mental health problems and how to deal with them.
The thing is in Britain the problem of waiting for psychological consultation has become so serious that people have to wait for up to 18 months to get the appointment with a mental health professional. Here come online psychotherapists. In one of the BBC interviews a young man tells us about his experience of having sessions with a professional psychotherapist with the help of the Internet and the sessions helped him immensely in solving his mental help problem. (Digital Health - BBC Breakfast News youtube.com 9 January 2017...Sarah Bateup appeared on BBC Breakfast News this morning (Jan 6th 2017) to discuss a marked increase in mental health issues among young men..).7
Telepsychology is the use of telehealth within the practice of psychotherapy, wherein a medical professional uses online tools to assist patients. Some tools may include, but are not limited to: Skype, email, online chatting, Oovoo, text-messaging, phone call, or using an app for the smart phone. Not only is telepsychology cost-effective, it also helps connect medical professionals to underserved patients while being more comforting and convenient to both parties.8
Focusing attention on mental health problems on the part of British government and World Health Organization raises the profile of the issue and helps finding ways of solving the problem. Cyber bulling and gaming addiction are the issues which are paid special attention to. To raise the profile of the issues they are verbalized with a certain degree of frequency in British mass media. The verbs and word combinations presented in the conceptual field «mental health disorders» are verbalized in the same contexts as ways of solving the problems. Methods of treatment of these mental diseases are given in the conceptual field «Ways of tackling mental health problems». By presenting the problems and specific solutions of the problem in the same context the addressee is persuaded in the rightfulness of particular action plan of
5 London News.youtube.com 19 July 2016 BBC
6 BBC News m.yaaya.video 6 October 2017
2 www.bbc.co.uk (17.04. 2017)
3 www.bbc.co.uk (12.03. 2018)
4 www.bbc.co.uk (15.03. 2016)
7 Digital Health - BBC Breakfast News youtube.com 9 January 2017
and Telepsychology?". apa.org.
8 "What are Telehealth Retrieved 2017-08-08.
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the government. Pragmatic purposes are pursued throughout mass media discourse. To that end certain word combinations are frequently repeated and profiled in mass media texts. Childhood obesity is the concept which can be used as an example. By focusing attention of parents on their children diet with the help of images and frequent verbalization of the concept in the context with such word combinations as fizzy drinks, school diet and sugar tax the government tries to persuade the public in the necessity of particular measures to tackle the problem.
We have categorized the pragmatic aspect of BBC reports into the following sections:
1. Creating empathy with the sufferer.
2. Encouraging people to join clubs for those who have experienced mental health problems.
3. Interviewing high -ranking government officials about mental health issues
4. Interviewing prominent psychologists and psychiatrists
We have also been able to single out 2 conceptual semantic fields
self-harming was a "massive worry
for parents
emotional struggles
sink into depression
mental illness, mental ill health
vulnerable people
cyber bulling, cyber stalking
suicide
substance abuse
Conceptual field - «Modern mental disorders»
Childhood obesity
Conceptual field - «Tackling mental disorders
To cope with stress To manage stress to improve mental health to tackle mental illness to improve mental well-being tackle stigma" and "ensure vulnerable groups have equal access to care and treatment struggle with depression raising the profile of mental health-to tackle mental ill health - бороться с психическими заболеваниями
to boost mental health services -улучшить услуги по выявлению и лечению психических недугов
Verbalization of the concept: sedentary lifestyle, healthy eating habits, risk of diabetes, risk for depression, active lifestyle_
Conceptual field - «Modern mental disorders»
Conceptual field - «Tackling mental disorders
References
1. www. bbc. co. uk Tue 1 Mar 2016 11.00 GMT Last modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 21.21 GMT
2. www.bbc.co.uk (17.04. 2017)
3. www.bbc.co.uk (12.03. 2018)
4. London News.youtube.com 19 July 2016 BBC
5. BBC News m.yaaya.video 6 October 2017
6. Digital Health - BBC Breakfast News youtube.com 9 January 2017
7. "What are Telehealth and Telepsychology?". apa.org. 2017-08-08.
Conclusion
Focusing attention on mental health problems on the part of British government and World Health Organization raises the profile of the issue and helps to find ways of solving the problem. Cyber bulling and gaming addiction are the issues which are paid special attention to. To raise the profile of the issues they are verbalized with a certain degree of frequency in British mass media. The verbs and word combinations presented in the conceptual field «mental health disorders» are verbalized in the same contexts as ways of solving the problems. Methods of treatment of these mental diseases are given in the conceptual field «Ways of tackling mental health problems». By presenting the problems and specific solutions of the problem in the same context the addressee is persuaded in the rightful-ness of particular action plan of the government. Pragmatic purposes are pursued throughout mass media discourse.
