The broken brain? Prevalence and consequences of brain framing of mental disorders

Public discourse often frames mental disorders as brain disorders, yet little is known about how this framing shapes lay beliefs. We combined large-scale text analysis of 55,068 New York Times articles with one correlational study (N = 204) and four preregistered vignette experiments (total N = 2,445) to examine both the prevalence and consequences of “brain talk” about mental disorders. We find that brain framing has become much more prevalent since 1980, and especially since 2004. We find evidence that brain framing increases belief in other biological and genetic causes; reduces belief in psychological and environmental causes, and strengthens beliefs in the efficacy of medication as a treatment. Effects on pessimism about recovery varied across studies and disorders. Brain framing had no robust effects on perceived age of onset, duration, severity, or beliefs about efficacy of psychotherapy treatment. Public beliefs about mental disorders are malleable and can be shaped by framing, highlighting the cognitive and societal consequences of brain framing in communication about mental health.