Subscribe to the Media Centre Department RSS Feed
Media Watch
May 2011May was an extremely busy month for the media team with a massive 119 pieces of coverage appearing across a range of print and broadcast media. In addition the team dealt with 94 media enquiries and issued seven news releases. Four of these were in support of the BACP Research Conference, one was for the BACP Awards Scheme and the final two were welcoming the announcements of the new Cabinet Secretary's for Health and Education in Scotland.
The press releases for the Research Conference achieved a total of 21 pieces of coverage across a range of publications including Medical News Today, Kenya Star and News Box. The news release welcoming the new Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health obtained positive coverage in both The Scotsman and the Edinburgh Evening News.
In addition to this proactive activity, the team were also very busy dealing with the gay reparative therapy case which broke during the month as a result of a professional conduct procedure. Careful handling of this issue ensured limited coverage appeared and that any BACP mentions were as neutral as possible. The result of this was that the majority of the coverage received appeared on blogs and news websites rather than in mainstream media.
Nine national print articles were achieved during May. These included ‘Exam stress creating a mental health time bomb' in The Daily Telegraph, which highlighted the increase in students seeking help for exam-related stress, an issue which was thought to be down to the unprecedented pressure on young people to obtain their grades for university. Elsewhere, The News of the World ran ‘Are you in a couple cul-de-sac?' which referred to BACP's 2010 public attitudes survey and looked at the benefits of relationship counselling.
Positive regional coverage achieved by the Association included ‘Bullied at work? You can fight it' in the Metro (North-East) which provided advice on dealing with workplace bullying. Also of note was ‘Pleased to be behind the scenes' in The Southern Daily Echo, which took the form of an interview with BACP Vice-President Sandi Toksvig.
In terms of media coverage about the profession more generally, one of the key stories of the month surrounded the rise in mental health cases among the armed forces and the need to provide both them and their families with further help and support. BBC News Online ran ‘Rise in mental health cases among armed forces', which revealed that almost 4,000 servicemen and women were diagnosed with mental health disorders last year. Commenting on the article an MoD spokesman said the mental health of the armed forces was a top priority. "The data we have does suggest that more Armed forces personnel are coming forward, which is vital so that diagnosis and treatment can be performed by fully trained and accredited mental health personnel." Later in the month BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat ran ‘Families of soldiers with PTSD ‘need more help''. The feature highlighted the impact that PTSD can have on the families of those suffering from the condition and called for the Government to ensure support is in place to address this.
Elsewhere, The Independent ran ‘Failure to tackle depression at work costs firms billions', which revealed that as many as one in four workers have experienced discrimination or witnessed colleagues being discriminated against at work because they have suffered a mental health problem. Speaking about the issue Amy Whitelock of Mind said: "Mental health problems remain the elephant in the room. Poor communication fuels the problem because if your boss or manager doesn't even ask how you are, how could you possibly approach them with anything more sensitive? There is still a culture of denial which means employees are afraid to speak out because they fear discrimination or being thought of as weak, and employers are afraid to broach the subject in case they make things worse."
Consumer coverage for the Association was positive throughout May. Cosmopolitan Magazine ran ‘Office bullying is on the rise' which highlighted the steps to take when faced with workplace bullying. Elsewhere, Healthy Magazine ran ‘Have you inherited your hang-ups?' which identified the anxieties and fears that can be passed down from parents and discussed ways that they can be dealt with.
All BACP's press releases and a selection of our media coverage can be viewed at www.bacp.co.uk/media
April 2011
Due to the busy news agenda including the Royal Wedding and Libya, April was a slightly quieter month for the media team in terms of coverage obtained with 55 pieces received. Media enquiries were also down slightly with 51 dealt with by the team. One press release was issued by the Association during the month, the topic of which was debt, job insecurity and depression.
The news release achieved three pieces of regional press coverage and two broadcast interviews, one for BBC News Central and one for BBC Radio Solent. There was also interest from Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.
Seven national print articles were achieved during April. These included ‘All the rage' in The Guardian, which looked at the increase in people seeking therapy for anger management and discussed whether it actually helps or whether simpler things like regular exercise and learning relaxation techniques are more beneficial. Elsewhere, The Sun ran ‘Fight the Fear' which looked at how to deal with common fears and phobias, including advice on how to seek therapy.
Positive regional coverage achieved by the Association included ‘Struggling to cope with trauma' in the Lancashire Evening Post which provided advice on dealing with trauma and bereavement, advising that when looking for a therapist they should use BACP members. Also of note was ‘Just what the doctor ordered' in The Herald, which highlighted the benefits of employers providing counselling support for employees.
In terms of media coverage about the profession more generally, one of the key stories of the month surrounded Catherine Zeta-Jones and her disclosure that she is suffering from bipolar disorder. This led to ‘Women and depression: a modern malaise?' in The Daily Telegraph which examined the rise in mental health issues among middle-aged women. Kathryn Hill of the Mental Health Foundation commented: "Women are under a huge amount of pressure to be high achievers. They are expected to combine bringing up children with a career and looking after elderly parents while staying in shape and up-to-date with fashion. It's unattainable and something has to give." Later in the month The Daily Mail ran "Manic depression has been rebranded as bipolar... But are so many of us really mentally ill?" The article talked about the increase in people presenting with suspected bipolar disorder, confirming the effect of what some feel is the ‘fashion' among celebrities for being labelled bipolar. It revealed that many mental health professionals are alarmed at the apparent over-use of the bipolar label and fear it is playing into the hands of those who want to blame life's normal stresses on a medical condition.
Elsewhere, BBC News Online ran ‘Money woes linked to rise in depression', which discussed the issue of whether economic problems are fuelling a rise in depression in England. It revealed that GPs and charities said they were being contacted increasingly by people struggling with debt and job worries. They said that financial woe could often act as a "trigger", but added other factors may also be playing a role in the rise. Also during April, The Independent ran ‘Is depression actually good for you?' which raised the question of whether depression can be a force for good in people's lives. Marjorie Wallace, Chief Executive of SANE, commented: "If you have depression, which, by definition, is a paralysis of motivation, it will be hard to see any positive outcome. But I believe that people who go through it come out stronger. It can act as a catalyst to survival because you have looked over the precipice and seen the abyss."
Consumer coverage for the Association was positive throughout April. Top Santé ran ‘7 things you didn't know about therapy' which referred to BACP's 2010 Public Attitudes Survey and gave our contact details. Phillip Hodson commented: "Anyone can call themselves a therapist or counsellor. You should never be afraid to ask your therapist about their qualifications, experience and specialities." Elsewhere, Bella Magazine ran ‘Plagued by nightmares' which talked about the use of CBT to help people who suffer from recurring nightmares. BACP's contact details were provided in the feature for anyone seeking CBT or counselling.
All BACP's press releases and a selection of our media coverage can be viewed at www.bacp.co.uk/media