Protected or Stigmatised?

Is it good or bad to label a person? wonders Agamedes.

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Today's West (6 Aug 10) has a letter headed, "Please explain". N Falkingham writes, "Why is it that when a person who has been diagnosed with a mental illness commits a crime, the press feels compelled to tell everyone?"

Why is a mental illness reportable news but cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure are not?

As I understand it, there are several sides to this issue:

• Reporting that a suspect has a mental illness does seem to stigmatise that person. Is it relevant?
  
• Some forms of mental illness do cause a predisposition to crime. Sudden uncontrollable anger, increased likelihood of a violent response, these are associated with some forms of mental illness.
  
• If a mental illness "caused" a crime, the criminal may be sentenced to a mental institution for treatment, rather than sent to jail as a criminal.
  
• In some cases a person may be found to be "innocent" on the grounds of temporary insanity. I apologise of my phrasing is not politically correct.
  
• So a mental illness may be very relevant to the final result of a court case. In which case, reporting the existence of a mental illness is an essential part of the news story.
  
• When a crime may have been influenced by a mental illness, that is a part of the story. It may be a legal point or it may be human interest. Knowledge of the mental illness may help the reader to understand what has happened.
  

A diabetic may overdose on insulin, resulting in abnormally low blood sugar. Low blood sugar can make anyone bad-tempered. If this is a factor in a crime then I would expect the newspaper to include, in its crime report, that the accused is a diabetic.

A few years ago a driver crashed their car. They used sleep apnoea -- inability to get a sound night's sleep -- for their falling asleep and crashing their car. The sleep apnoea -- a physical illness -- was relevant to the case so it was reported.

I expect the newspaper to report facts which are relevant.

Mental illness is not a crime. Some mental illness may be closely related to criminal actions. Whether it is a physical or mental illness -- if it is relevant -- it could or should be reported.

If the illness is not relevant then no, there is no excuse for reporting it.

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