There are many news outlets covering the topic of mental health, reporting the facts and current issues in the area. However, is it just news journalism that can help bring about change in attitudes towards mental health?

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There is no question that strong news reports bring the topics and issues to the forefront of the public's and politician's minds. Many articles have been focused on reporting important information about mental health. Some address people's experience and the lack of support in the community for those with mental illness, others report on groups in our community most likely to be affected and the help and solutions available and others tackle big questions and areas such as, where we as a society are failing, what can the government be doing, what are they not doing?

As research is slowly produced about a topic like depression, we see the news reporting on the details which, helps those who read the content. But not everyone is dedicated to making the news a part of their daily life. Stories such as this may unfortunately, be missed by those who need to read them most. So what about other media forms?

Television programmes such as documentaries, soaps and dramas continually address themes of depression and other mental illnesses. By incorporating them into the character's story lines and representing a situation that many of the viewers might find themselves in.

One great example to consider is The Big Bang Theory, a television show popular amongst young adults and teenagers. It themes and story lines regularly deal with issues of OCD, social anxiety, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and Aspergers Syndrome. Hubpages posted a very interesting article back in 2014 addressing the very complex personality of character Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon's character, with all of his complexities, is a truthful representative of real life for many individuals. His character addresses the many difficulties he faces in what might seem to be an everyday task for others, you can read more here.

Other creative medias such as popular soap opera shows have dealt with complex mental illnesses faced everyday by people in our society. Waterloo road, for example, dealt with schizophrenia and Hollyoaks has opened up discussion with regards to depression and schizophrenia. Documentaries also bring the stories we might view in a television show to real life and true experiences.

Whilst programmes such as Eastenders and The Big Bang Theory play out what life might be like for those with mental illnesses. Documentaries allow the audience to understand the very real and non-entertainment focused content, is a reality for many. A recent BBC documentary addresses the very scary and sad reality of suicide. Well known rapper Professor Green opens up about his own experience with suicide when his dad took his own life. This is a very raw documentary but it is incredibly interesting and addresses mental health problems in a way that news journalism does not. You can also see people's reaction on twitter in this Storify.

I think using creative outlets such as television programmes to address mental health, alongside the necessary news reports brings together a very strong foundation on which, we as a society can begin to build successful change upon.

What are you opinions on creating change in attitudes towards mental health? Do you believe that news reporting is enough? Let me know your opinions, I'd love to hear from you.