Mental illness has increased in Sweden in recent years. This means that the media continuously report on the existence of mental illness in society. People with mental illness have historically been exposed to discrimination and stigmatization, which is still ongoing and therefore can lead to a care that is not equal in different respects.

The aim of the study was to examine constructions and discourses in media about mental illness and to problematize and discuss how the media's image of mental illness may affect psychiatric nurses in their profession.

The study addresses mental illness as described in Swedish media using a critical discourse analytical approach, whose purpose is to expose veiled power structures. The perspective is integrated; studying the text (what was written), discussing the recipe of the text (how the reader perceive it), the text interpreted (by the authors) and the depictions for social consequences in health care and society.

The results show that people with mental illness are presented as exposed in different ways, and the result shows four different discourses; a vulnerability discourse, a solution oriented discourse, an economical discourse and a political discourse. The picture produced of mental illness was predominantly negative. As a psychiatric nurse, there is challenges related to avoid affectedness by this negative image in a way that goes beyond nursing care. By applying an empowerment-oriented approach, and by working according to person-centered care, the psychiatric nurse may overcome various obstacles in the encounter with persons suffering from mental ill-health. There is a need of development in the mental ill-health field, and the authors of this study consider it important to gain new knowledge from other research areas in order to develop and drive healthcare forward.