‘TV soap operas improvemental health awareness’

Soap opera storylines in shows including Coronation Street and EastEnders help viewers understand mental health issues better, according to new research.

Academics studied TV dramas including soaps and shows such as Channel 4’s Homeland and found that the way mental health issues are portrayed on screen is becoming more realistic and is more likely to encourage people to seek help for their own problems.

The report, by campaign group Time to Change, found mental health issues featuring more often in plot lines than five years ago but warned there were still some “simplistic portrayals” and misinformation.