What do people think about the mentally ill? Population surveys are on
e way to find this out. The analysis of the content of the media is an
other. The authors have chosen to evaluate German language news papers
on the background of the theory of social representations. They find
typical patterns viewing mental illness and the mentally ill by interp
retation. In order to discuss stigma and prejudice continuous observat
ion and evaluation of popular images of mental illness are necessary.