Abstract
While the world mourns the lives lost in the devastating Germanwings plane crash, media speculation over what happened has intensified. The French prosecutor earlier concluded that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had sealed himself in the cockpit in order to “destroy this plane”.
Was this an act of terrorism, the media has wondered. Was Lubitz suicidal? Did he have a previous record of depression? These are all fair questions to ask, but the coverage raises an additional issue: are all the media reports about the mental state of the pilot going to reinforce the already widespread stigma around depression and mental illness?
Was this an act of terrorism, the media has wondered. Was Lubitz suicidal? Did he have a previous record of depression? These are all fair questions to ask, but the coverage raises an additional issue: are all the media reports about the mental state of the pilot going to reinforce the already widespread stigma around depression and mental illness?
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Specialist publication | The Conversation |
| Publisher | The Conversation UK |
| Publication status | Published - 27 Mar 2015 |
Keywords
- Mental Health
- Depression
- The Sun
- Daily Mail
- Flight 4U9525
- Germanwings
