Representations of “Mental Illness” in Serbian Newspapers: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

The media are among the primary sources of information on “mental illness” for the general public. This article presents an overview of the representations of “mental illness” in Serbian daily newspapers covering a two-year period, 2003 and 2004. A critical discourse analytic approach was employed to identify the discourses drawn upon to construct versions of “mental illness,” the textual strategies through which these versions are constructed, as well as the functions of these specific depictions of “mental illness.” Three broad discourses were identified. The discourse of dangerousness depicts people with “mental illness” as dangerous either by portraying them as committing violent crimes or by conflating them with other stigmatized groups. The discourse of bio-medicalization constructs “mental illness” as a medical disorder, psychiatrists as responsible for its management, and people with mental health problems as passive sufferers of their condition. The discourse of socio-political transition accounts for the recent increased incidence of mental disorders in Serbia by constructing versions of a mentally healthy or mentally disordered Serbian nation. The former two discourses are commonly highlighted in the international literature on media depictions of “mental illness.” The discourse of socio-political transition seems to be specific to our corpus and closely related to the current Serbian context, in relation to which it is discussed.

Keywords:

• discourse analysis
• “mental illness”
• newspapers
• Serbia
• socio-political transition