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or supplies to victims of a natural disaster). Including positive messages and stories of hope and healing (particularly when covering pandemics, natural disasters, and incidents of mass violence). What Media Organizations, Entertainment Companies, and Journalists Can Do WE CAN TAKE ACTION Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory 24 Normalize stories about mental health and mental illness across all forms of media, taking care to avoid harmful stereotypes, promote scientifically accurate information, and include stories of help, hope, and healing. Example best practices178 include: Avoiding harmful stereotypes about mental illness, such as the idea that people who have a mental illness are prone to violence or that mental illness causes violence. Research shows this is not the case.179 Avoiding demeaning language (e.g., “crazy,” “psycho,” “looney,” “wacko”, “nut,” “junkie”). This includes using person-centered language, or language that focuses on the person rather than a disease label.180 For example, instead of referring to someone as a “schizophrenic,” refer to them as a “person living with schizophrenia.” Include stories of people seeking help, getting treatment, and successfully recovering. These can also include examples of people getting help from friends, family neighbors, or even strangers (not just mental health professionals).181 Direct consumers to mental health resources (as part of any mental health-related TV episode, movie, news story, podcast, or other media). Craft more authentic stories by consulting with subject matter experts and people with personal experience of mental illness or mental health challenges. Whenever depicting suicide or suicidal ideation, adhere to best practices such as the National Recommendations for Depicting Suicide.182 For example: Convey that suicide is complex and often caused by multiple factors, not a single event. Show that help is available. For example, in TV shows or movies, show characters reaching out to health professionals, talking to supportive peers, friends, or family, or calling or texting a crisis hotline. Mental Health Media Guide: A guide to mental health storytelling developed by a coalition of mental health experts and entertainment industry leaders National Center on Disability and Journalism Resources: Effective, sensitive ways to talk about disability in the media National Recommendations for Depicting Suicide (National Action Alliance): Guidance for content creators to tell more balanced and authentic stories involving suicide Resources for Media Organizations, Entertainment Companies, and Journalists Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory 25 Over the past two decades, more and more of our lives have moved onto social media platforms and other digital public spaces. The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly accelerated this trend.