Abstract

People with mental illnesses experience significant levels of stigma and discrimination. The
stigma associated with such illnesses is complex the level, type and experience of stigma and
discrimination may be influenced by factors such as the condition itself, the age and gender of
the person and the belief and value systems in the society.
Despite recent developments, mental health issues are still considered to be a taboo subject in our
conservative Asian societies. The stigma surrounding mental health issues is deeply rooted in
traditional Asian valuesand

numerous studies and case reports on mental health in Asian
countries have arrived at the same conclusion. Common threads of shame and honor are woven
in the blanket of stigma that envelopes mental health problems in Asian societies.
With the globalization of information through media, factors which affect mindsets are rapidly
changing. Mindsets are no longer just influenced by local information but also by information
from across the globe. Media is the publics most significant source of information about mental
illnesses. Reinforcement of stereotypes through the media can perpetuate the stigma surrounding
mental illness, precipitating shame, self-blame, and secrecy, all of which discourage affected
individuals from seeking treatment.
Given the high vulnerability of the teenage population to mental disorders, it is essential to
understand influences which affect their perception and attitude towards mental health. The
majority of teenagers have access to mass media daily and are susceptible to what they view.
The aim of this study to understand the influence of mass media portrayal of public personalities
with mental illnesses on teenagers perception of mental illnesses. Given the establishment of
parasocial relationships between celebrities and teenagers, it is hypothesized that depending on
the nature of the reporting (positive/negative), the perception and understanding of mental illness
will be influenced accordingly.
The participants in this study were all Singaporean students aged 16-18. Each participant was
asked to complete an online survey which involved them reading two different articles about
celebrities with mental illnesses and answering a short questionnaire following the articles. This
questionnaire consisted of 8 different opinions about mental illnesses. For each opinion, using a
five-point Likert Scale, participants could express their agreement based on information
regarding mental illness, from the article. The differences in their attitudes for each opinion
following each article was analyzed using a matched-pair t-test.
It was observed that there is statistically significant evidence to show that the different portrayals
of public personalities in the two articles influenced the students attitudes on stereotypes about
mental illnesses differently. The hypothesis that teenagers are more likely to perceive mental
illnesses negatively and express more negative attitudes towards people with mental illnesses
upon exposure to medias negative portrayal of a public personality was supported by our
findings. Hence, this study clearly demonstrates that portrayals of public personalities in media
has the potential to influence social attitudes of teenagers. This, combined with our cultural and
traditional taboos, can lead to the development of a negative societal attitude towards mental
health issues and hence is a cause for concern.