Analyzing the presentation and the stigma of schizophrenia in French newspapers

Purpose

It has been suggested that the stigmatizing presentation of people with schizophrenia by newspapers is an example of structural stigma. In this study, we explore how French newspapers contribute to the stigma of people with schizophrenia.

Methods

All the articles of eight major newspapers (four national and four regional) that include the term schizophr* and that were published in 2015 were therefore analyzed using a coding scheme that we developed inductively.

Results

This analysis showed that among the identified themes, 40.4% of the articles used the term schizophrenia metaphorically and 28.3% referred to dangerousness. The first concerned mostly national newspapers, while the second were mostly published by regional newspapers. A more selective analysis was also carried out on these major themes in order to investigate how the “us” against “them” distinction is created and how negative stereotypes are associated with this distinction. In the case of the metaphorical use of the term, schizophrenia was presented as a “split personality” disorder and the label used in order to devalue the political opposition. Schizophrenia was presented either as a deterministic cause of dangerousness or as a potential cause of crime. In either case, the question of control was clearly present in these articles.

Conclusions

These results are discussed in terms of the “us” against “them” distinction as a double process of stigmatization of people with schizophrenia and of reinforcement of one’s own identity and security.