8 October 2003

Panorama (BBC for BBC1) and West Eye View: Bitter Pill (A Carlton Production for the West of England (HTV West) are celebrating wins at the Mental Health Media Awards 2003, for their powerful documentaries about the controversial SSRI anti-depressant drug, Seroxat.

The annual Mental Health Media Awards — now in their 10th year — recognise the best in reporting and portrayals of mental health issues in the broadcast media.

'Panorama: The Secrets of Seroxat' and 'Seroxat: Emails from the Edge' (BBC for BBC 1) received a special Public Impact award from Mental Health Media. The documentaries showed just how powerful the voice of mental health service users and survivors can be, fuelling furious public and media debate whilst demonstrating how broadcasters can both sensitively and successfully reach out and touch the lives of the wider public.

Investigative, challenging and powerful, the programmes were considered by judges to have potentially changed lives, and crucially, contained the testimonies of the people who had responded to the Panorama team following the broadcast of the 'The Secrets of Seroxat' in their thousands.

The controversy surrounding Seroxat was also the subject of West Eye View: Bitter Pill (A Carlton Production for the West of England (HTV West) which scooped the prize in the TV Documentary category. This outstanding documentary was praised by judges for its "empowering and influential" exposé of the problems people in the West of England had experienced whilst taking or withdrawing from Seroxat. Giving a local voice to a national issue, West Eye View: Bitter Pill was described by one judge as "vindication for all of those who had experienced difficulties whilst withdrawing from Seroxat, but were told that the drug and the subsequent symptoms were unrelated".

Mark Ashton, Series Producer commented: "I'm grateful to HTV West for their sensible and mature approach to current affairs broadcasting, giving their producers the opportunity to make articulate and conscientious programmes about issues of public importance and in winning this award, its clear that their commitment has paid off. When West Eye View: Bitter Pill was broadcast, we received huge mailbags of correspondence from viewers wanting to know more about the potential side-effects and withdrawal problems of Seroxat. These were real people, with real jobs, who after having gone to their GP showing symptoms of depression or anxiety, had walked out with a packet of Seroxat, when primarily, they needed advice, or at the very least deserved honest and explicit information about the drug they were about to take".

Other winners included Sky News (BSkyB for Sky News) in the TV & Radio News category, for their report on the Department of Health's 'Read the Signs' campaign, which aims to raise awareness of mental health problems among young people. The Sky News report also featured this year's winner of the Survivor Award, Sian Davis, who talked articulately and openly about her experiences of mental distress.

'Out of Control' (BBC Films for BBC One) starring Tamzin Outhwaite triumphed in the Single Drama & Drama Serial category, and BBC Radio 4 walked away with the award for Radio Drama, for the Radio 4 Afternoon Play: Kon-Tiki 2 Expedition (BBC Radio Drama for BBC Radio 4). The award for Factual Radio went to BBC Radio Devon for Good Morning Devon: What Happened to James (BBC for BBC Radio Devon), whilst See Me Scotland (See Me...) scooped the award in the Public Information Campaign category.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1) For further information or to request photographs of the award winners please contact Katie Brudenell at Mental Health Media on 0207 700 8171 or email katie.brudenell@mhmedia.com

2) THE WINNERS

TV & Radio News
Sky News: Read the Signs (BSKYB for Sky News)

TV Documentary
West Eye View: Bitter Pill (A Carlton Production for the West of England (HTV West))

Factual Radio
Good Morning Devon: What Happened to James (BBC for BBC Radio Devon)

Single Drama & Drama Serial
Out of Control (BBC Films for BBC 1)

Soaps & Drama Series
No entries shortlisted

Radio Drama
Radio 4 Afternoon Play: Kon-Tiki 2 Expedition (BBC Radio Drama for BBC Radio 4)

Public Information Campaign
See Me Scotland (See Me...)

Chair's Award — Public Impact
Panorama: The Secrets of Seroxat & Seroxat: Emails from the Edge (BBC for BBC 1)

3) The Mental Health Media Awards 2003 was co-sponsored by The Wellcome Trust. Category sponsors were The Mental Health Foundation, Mindout for Mental Health, Pavilion, Rethink severe mental illness, and The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health and the event was supported by BAFTA, Rap Spiderweb and VET.

4) Mental Health Media is a unique communications organisation which challenges discrimination around mental health by promoting the voice of mental health service users in all media.

5) Mental Health Media offers a range of video and new media training materials, provides media skills training courses, runs the annual Mental Health Media Awards and works with journalists and broadcasters to inform their coverage of mental health issues.