Public beliefs about and attitudes towards people with mental illness: a review of population studies
Acta Psychiatrica ScandinavicaPublished 5 December 2005
M. C. Angermeyer, Sandra Dietrich
Citations1,147
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SJR score2.51
SNIP2.00
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TL;DR
A review of population‐based attitude research in psychiatry during the past 15 years is provided to provide a review of town-based attitudeResearch in psychiatry.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To provide a review of population-based attitude research in psychiatry during the past 15 years. METHOD: An electronic search using PubMed, Medline, and Academic Search Premier plus a hand search of the literature was carried out for studies on public beliefs about mental illness and attitudes towards the mentally ill published between 1990 and 2004. RESULTS: Thirty-three national studies and 29 local and regional studies were identified, mostly from Europe. Although the majority are of descriptive nature, more recent publications include studies testing theory-based models of the stigmatization of mentally ill people, analyses of time trends and cross-cultural comparisons, and evaluations of antistigma interventions. CONCLUSION: Attitude research in psychiatry made considerable progress over the past 15 years. However, there is still much to be done to provide an empirical basis for evidence-based interventions to reduce misconceptions about mental illness and improve attitudes towards persons with mental illness.
Keywords
PsychologyMedicineHealth Professions
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An important area of work is touched upon in the review: the self-stigmatization and the loss of self-respect of people affected by a mental illness.
Irish Journal of Psychological MedicineAttitudes towards the mentally ill in Ireland
26 Citations1993Patrick Black, Martin Duffy +3 more
The findings are encouraging to the development of community psychiatric services and support the usefulness of public education in the area of mental health.
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric EpidemiologyHow psychiatric patients perceive the public's stereotype of mental illness
25 Citations2003Marion Freidl, Thomas Lang� +1 more
It seems that some psychiatric patients are less convinced than the general population that most people devalue psychiatric patients in specific respects; these patients might fear rejection less than other patients do and need antistigma assistance more urgently.
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