Mental health in the media awards

Celebrating portrayals of mental health in the media.

08 December 2014

This year’s Mind Media Awards were dominated by young winners as the BBC Three documentary Diaries of a Broken Mind, teen drama My Mad Fat Diary, 15-year-old blogger Ellen White and Radio 1 took home the top prizes.

The annual awards aim to celebrate the best portrayals and reporting of mental health in the media. They honour broadcasters, bloggers and journalists who have made a contribution to changing attitudes and tackling mental health stigma. The ceremony, hosted by comedian Helen Lederer, also featured guest presentations from TV presenter Jameela Jamil and actress Denise Welch.

BBC Three’s intimate documentary Diaries of a Broken Mind – a film that included self-recorded footage by 25 young people with various mental health problems over six months – was awarded Best Factual TV Programme. Teenager Ellen White claimed the Blogger award for her website where she posts about living with obsessive compulsive disorder. The 15-year-old was recognised for providing peer support to other young people going through similar issues. The musings of a teenager were also honoured in the drama category with E4 comedy My Mad Fat Diary, based on the teenage years of writer Rae Earle.

BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra were presented with the Making a Difference award, for their long-standing commitment to reporting on mental health issues.

The full list of winners can be found at tinyurl.com/q76346z