Stress & Mental Health Resources and Tips

Stress Resources!

If you’re looking for counseling, USC offers various opportunities and if you are just looking to do something to clear your mind, USC has scheduled programming happening all throughout the day tomorrow.

Tips and Practices We Can Use When Covering Mental Health.

• Use language that does not stigmatize a mental health problem. Not only does it portray your source in a negative light, but it perpetuates stereotypes and attitudes that keep people from seeking help themselves. Be careful with the ways you describe mental health issues and stick to characteristics that’ll help readers get an honest depiction of the illness. 

 

• Provide solutions and resources to the reader. This goes for a lot of other stories as well. When presenting issues, it can be daunting to harp on the same information that depicts a public health issue. Instead of focusing solely on the issue, do the research to see what some communities or organizations are doing to support or alleviate the issue. In addition, especially when covering suicide, provide resources to hotlines and support organizations. We came across this issue earlier this week and alleviated the problem immediately, resulting in a great example of how to connect hotlines and support to our publications. 

 

• In any story, we should be aiming to get diverse sources. The same is especially true when covering mental health because there is no one way people experience a mental illness. By ensuring you collect voices of varying experiences, your coverage will be stronger and offer new perspectives on mental health.

Mental Health Assistance Resources!

If you encounter someone who needs help during your reporting or in your personal life in regard to mental health assistance, please refer to resources provided by Mental Health First Aid to learn how to navigate these situations.

The biggest lesson to take away from the training is to follow the A-L-G-E-E action plan: 

A: Assess for risk of suicide or harm

L: Listen non judgmentally 

G: Giver reassurance and information 

E: Encourage appropriate professional help 

E: Encourage self-help and other support strategies. 

Best, 

Steven