Table 1.

Coding schema for newspaper articles

Variable	Description
Quote from patient, relative or charity	Direct or paraphrased quote from a patient with the illness in question, relative or advocacy organisation
Quote from professional	Quote from a healthcare professional in charge of the patient's care or spokesperson for government organisations, etc.
Association with violence	Any article where a person portrayed as having a mental illness or under the influence of drugs/alcohol engages in criminal or dangerous activity where others are put at risk or harmed. Suicide or self-harm is not included in this category
Mention of treatment/ rehabilitation	Either specific (e.g. Prozac), general (anti-depressants, cognitive–behavioural therapy), alternative (mindfulness, yoga) or relating to the Mental Health Act 1983 where treatment is noted under a compulsory treatment order
Substance misuse	Articles relating to addiction, overdose or psychiatric effects of substance misuse were classified as relating to mental health. Physical effects of drug usage, including side-effects, were classified under physical health
System failure/ negligence	Any article where substandard care is delivered by a single person or on an organisational level, resulting in adverse outcomes. Shortcomings range from IT failures and changes in social policy to deliberate mistreatment
Innovations in research	Articles where a new diagnostic method, treatment or better understanding of a named disease is reached
Medical advocacy/raising awareness	Where the primary purpose of the article is to transmit information about a particular disease profile or set of symptoms or charity efforts. For example Autism Awareness Week, United Nations World Down Syndrome Day, ‘Check ’Em Tuesday’ – a campaign run by The Sun to increase uptake of self-screening for breast cancer