Language Strategies Depicting the Representations of Depressive Disorder Patients in Thai Daily Newspapers

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study language strategies for representing depressive patients' images presented in Thai daily newspapers. Three newspaper editions—Thairath, Daily News, and Kom Chad Luek—were surveyed between January 2019 and December 2020 to gather information on 100 articles of various genres that addressed patients with depression. The research results
indicated that the language strategies used to depict images of depressed patients included: 1) the use of words or groups of words, 2) conceptual metaphors, 3) co-texts or references, 4) numbers or statistics, and 5) idioms. Additionally, the research findings revealed the existence of 10 different images of depressed patients
featured in newspapers, which could be categorized into 3 groups. Group 1 focused on the appearance and character of depressed patients, including: 1) individuals
who were non-confrontational or weak, 2) patients with atypical depression, 3) patients with depression who lacked self-control, and 4) the concept that depression can affect anyone. Group 2 centered around depressed patients in terms of treatment, consisting of: 1) patients who were successfully treated but needed to follow their doctor's orders, 2) patients who had to live with understanding
individuals, and 3) patients who managed to overcome the illness independently. Lastly, Group 3 explored the relevance of depressed patients to society, including:
1) individuals suffering from severe depressive disorder,2) those with malignant depressive disorder, and 3) patients receiving treatment from others.