Eastenders have been praised for their portrayal of mental illness (© BBC)
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The portrayal of mental illness on television is misleading, claims a government backed report
The study, commissioned by the Department of Health, found that nearly half of all TV programmes with mentally ill characters present the illness incorrectly.
However, shows such as Eastenders and Shameless were praised by the mental health charity, Mind.
BBC’s Eastenders’ character Stacey Slater, who has bipolar, was said to present the illness in a realistic manner but the report still stated that more improvement was still needed across the board.
Television programmes often portray people with mental illness as an ‘axe wielding manic’ but this stereotype needs to be ditched, as in fact the vast majority of people with mental illness pose no risk to others.
Professor Greg Philo, who lead the research, said, ‘Great progress has been made in recent years, but we’ve some way to go before we see more of the everyday realities of living with a mental health problem.’
By Lauren King
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