Social media reactions of nurses to the documentary Stacey Dooley: On the Psych Ward

Mental health nursing is becoming a more transparent discipline. Increasingly, documentaries have provided the general public with insights regarding these therapeutic ward environments. The opinions of staff working in such places is important for ensuring the accuracy of the information, and the usefulness of what is publicly aired. This study explored the social media comments of nursing staff (as the experts) who viewed the Stacey Dooley: On the Psych Ward documentary. Social media (Facebook and Twitter) were searched for comments on the documentary 3 weeks after the documentary was aired. In total, 4008 Facebook comments and 604 tweets were downloaded and assessed. Comments that did not relate to the documentary were excluded. A total of 31 Facebook comments and 54 tweets were used for analysis. Some evidence of criticism towards the presenter was found, as well as the use of an award-winning hospital as a non-representative – and unrealistic – example of psychiatric care. In general, healthcare staff felt that the documentary was useful for informing the general public, as well as students. Documentaries such as this one that capture the realities of working on mental health wards have educational merit.