Community Attitudes to Mental Illness

1996 ◽  
Vol 168 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Wolff ◽  
Soumitra Pathare ◽  
Tom Craig ◽  
Julian Leff

BackgroundThe baseline findings from a controlled study of the effect of a public education campaign on community attitudes to mental illness are presented.MethodA census of attitudes to mental illness was conducted in two areas, prior to the opening of supported houses for the mentally ill Factor analysis of the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally III (CAMI) inventory revealed three components: Fear and Exclusion, Social Control and Goodwill.ResultsThe only determinant of Fear and Exclusion was having children. The main determinants of Social Control were social class, ethnic origin, age, having suffered mental illness and having children. The main determinant of Goodwill was educational level The attitude factors were predictive of respondents' behavioural intentions toward the mentally ill. Respondents with children and non-Caucasians were more likely to object to the mentally ill living in their neighbourhood.ConclusionsAny intervention aimed at changing attitudes to mentally ill people in the community should be targeted at people with children and non-Caucasians, as these groups are more likely to object.

1996 ◽  
Vol 168 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Wolff ◽  
Soumitra Pathare ◽  
Jom Craig ◽  
Julian Leff

BackgroundWe test the hypothesis that negative attitudes to mentally ill people may be fuelled by a lack of knowledge.MethodA census of knowledge of mental illness was conducted in two areas prior to the opening of long-stay supported houses for the mentally ill in each area. Three attitudinal factors (Fear and Exclusion, Social Control and Goodwill) which had been extracted by factor analysis of the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally III (CAMI) inventory (see previous paper) were analysed in respect of their associations with knowledge of mental illness.ResultsMost respondents (80%) knew of somebody who had a mental illness but a substantial proportion of respondents had little knowledge about mental illness. Social Control showed an association with knowledge of mental illness. Groups who showed more socially controlling attitudes (especially those over 50 years old, those of lower social class, and those of non-Caucasian ethnic origin) had less knowledge about mental illness. Regression analysis revealed that when knowledge was taken into account age had no effect on Social Control, and the effect of social class and ethnic origin was diminished Respondents with children, who showed more Fear and Exclusion, were not less knowledgeable about mental illness.ConclusionsThe results support the hypothesis that negative attitudes, especially in older people, are fuelled by a lack of knowledge. Negative attitudes among people with children are not related to a lack of knowledge.


1996 ◽  
Vol 168 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Wolff ◽  
Soumitra Pathare ◽  
Tom Craig ◽  
Julian Leff

BackgroundThe findings from a controlled study of the effect of a public education campaign on community attitudes to mentally ill people are presented.MethodA census of neighbours' attitudes toward mental illness was conducted in two areas before the opening of supported houses for the mentally ill. In one area an educational campaign was conducted The attitude survey was then repeated in both areas and patients' social contact with neighbours was recorded.ResultsRespondents exposed to the didactic component of the campaign showed only a small increase in knowledge about mental illness but there was a lessening of fearful and rejecting attitudes in the experimental area and not in the control area Neighbours in the experimental area were more likely to make social contact with both staff and patients. It was social contact which was directly associated with improved attitudes rather than education per se. Patients in the experimental area made contact and even friendships with neighbours whereas those in the control area did not.ConclusionsThe public education campaign did not lead to significant changes in neighbours' knowledge of mental illness. However, their attitudes improved and patients' social integration was enhanced.


2009 ◽  
Vol 194 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha Mehta ◽  
Aliya Kassam ◽  
Morven Leese ◽  
Georgia Butler ◽  
Graham Thornicroft

BackgroundUnderstanding trends in public attitudes towards people with mental illness informs the assessment of ongoing severity of stigma and evaluation of anti-stigma campaigns.AimsTo analyse trends in public attitudes towards people with mental illness in England and Scotland using Department of Health Attitudes to Mental Illness Surveys, 1994–2003.MethodWe analysed trends in attitudes for 2000 respondents in each survey year (6000 respondents in 1996 and 1997) using quota sampling methods and the adapted Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill scale.ResultsComparing 2000 and 2003, there was significant deterioration for 17/25 items in England and for 4/25 items in Scotland. Neither country showed significant improvements in items between 2000 and 2003.ConclusionsPublic attitudes towards people with mental illness in England and Scotland became less positive during 1994–2003, especially in 2000–2003, and to a greater extent in England. The results are consistent with early positive effects for the ‘see me’ anti-stigma campaign in Scotland.


1999 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 430-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Searle

I think I can honestly say that I am a seasoned complainer, although I am careful not to attempt to be Mary Whitehouse and I do not assiduously scan the media looking for trouble. My interest in the area of stigmatization started with an episode of the TV drama Boon, where they suddenly had a character become ‘mentally ill’ so that he could conveniently shoot the hero to achieve a cliff-hanging end-of-series episode. Subsequently I specialised in the portrayal of mental illness in dramatic productions, joined the Public Education Campaign divisional network and had some media training. I have been listed as an expert in the portrayal of mental illness for five years but have never been approached for my advice on this area. However, following this year's announcement of the new Royal College of Psychiatrists' campaign ‘Changing Minds: Every Family in the Land’, I obtained all the names and addresses in Deborah Hart and Jill Phillipson's article above and stood ready to ‘do my bit’ for truth and honesty.


Author(s):  
Nahal Salimi ◽  
◽  
Bryan Gere ◽  
Sharo Shafaie ◽  
◽  
...  

"Police officers are some of the first professionals that might have direct interaction with individuals with mental illnesses. Statistics show that from 2017 to 2020 about 3986 individuals in the United States were fatally shot by police officers (Statista, 2021). These reports indicate that at least 25% and as many as 50% of all fatal shootings involved individuals with untreated severe mental illness. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the effectiveness of a five-day psycho-educational mental health awareness training in enhancing law enforcement officers’ knowledge about mental illness, and their perceptions towards mentally ill individuals using a pretest-posttest design. The Community Attitudes Towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale was used to measure participants’four mental health attitudinal domains - authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness, and community mental health ideology. The results indicate that at the completion of the training there was an increase in participants’ confidence about their knowledge of the mentally ill individuals and mental illness conditions. However, the results also indicate a slight decrease in participants' mental illness social restrictiveness sentiment after the completion of the training. Additionally, the results also show a correlation between demographic variables and some of the domains. Implications for practice are discussed."


Hawwa ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-308
Author(s):  
Hoda El-Saadi

AbstractMental illness in Egypt had undergone significant changes by the end of the nineteenth century. European norms and definitions of mental illness, deriving their origins from the new psychiatry, began to infiltrate the country as an outcome of European intervention. Such norms replaced local norms, leading to a change in the definition of mental illness and the way society viewed and dealt with the mentally ill. In pre-modernist societies, the prevailing outlook on the mentally ill was mainly characterized by tolerance and acceptance, and tended to equate the mentally ill with any other patient who could be cured. Such an outlook changed into a more stringent and isolating one that dealt with the mentally ill cautiously and fearfully and considered them a liability to society that, like any contagious patient, needed to be expelled. Mental asylums in the early and middle Islamic ages were a place for the treatment of the mentally ill, rather than institutions for locking up and isolating them from societies. These asylums were usually built in the heart of the cities to make it easier for relatives to visit their loved ones.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Gilang Purnama ◽  
Desy Indra Yani ◽  
Titin Sutini

ABSTRAKStigma merupakan label negatif yang melekat pada tubuh seseorang yang diberikan oleh masyarakat dan dipengaruhi oleh lingkungan. Stigma salah satu faktor penghambat dalam penyembuhan klien gangguan jiwa.Cileles adalah suatu Desa dengan jumlah klien gangguan jiwa yang meningkat setiap tahunnya.Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mengetahui gambaran stigma masyarakat terhadap klien gangguan jiwa di RW 09 Desa Cileles.Desain penelitian menggunakan deskriptif kuantitatif. Populasi penelitian 253 Kepala Keluarga dan Sampel 155 responden dengan menggunakan teknik stratified random sampling. Instrumen penelitian menggunakan kuisoner Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill dan instrumentnya valid dan reliabel.Analisis data yang digunakan adalah distribusi frekuensi dan skor median.Stigma terdiri dari 4 domain, masing-masing domain skornya 10 – 50. Hasil penelitian menunjukan domain otoriterisme mediannya 34 dengan IQR2, selanjutnya adalah komponen berdasarkan domain kebajikan dengan nilai skor 33 dengan IQR 2, kemudian domain ideologi komunitas kesehatan mental dengan skor 33 dengan IQR 4 dan yang paling rendah domain pembatasan sosial dengan nilai 27 dengan IQR 7. Hal tersebut dapat berarti bahwa lebih banyak responden yang menganggap bahwa klien gangguan jiwa harus diperlakukan dengan kasar.Penelitian ini bisa disimpulkan bahwa domain otoriterisme adalah domain stigma yang paling tinggi dan pembatasan sosial adalah domain yang paling rendah. Hasil penelitian ini perlu di tindak lanjuti dengan memberikan intervensi yang tepat sesuai dengan domain-domain yang ada Kata kunci : Gangguan Jiwa, Masyarakat, Stigma.  ABSTRACTStigma is a negative label attached to the body of someone who is paid by the public and influenced by the environment. Stigma one of the inhibiting factor in the healing of clients with mental disorders. Cileles is a village with a number of clients with mental disorders is increasing every year.  This research aims to describe the stigma against mental illness clients in RW 09 Cileles.This research used descriptive quantitative design. Population consisted of 253 heads of household and involved 155 respondents were taken with stratified random sampling. This research used Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill Questionnaire and the instrument was valid and reliable. Data Analyzed with descriptive analysis and used median score.Stigma is composed of four domains, each domain likelihood score is 10-50. Research results from obtained that the median score on the domain of authoritarianism is 34 with IQR 2, next is a component based on the domain of virtue with a score of 33 with IQR 2, then based on the ideological aspect mental health community with a score of 33 with IQR 4 and the lowest is based on aspects of social restrictions with value 27 with IQR 7. This result indicated that majority of respondent considered that patient with mental ill should be treated rudely.To concluded, authoritarianism domain is the highest domain stigma and social restrictions are the domain of the lowest. The results of this study need to be followed up with appropriate interventions in accordance with existing domains. Keyword : Mental Illness, Society, Stigma 


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Clementine Wyke ◽  
Glori-Louise de Bernier ◽  
Chun Chiang Sin Fai Lam ◽  
Clare Holt ◽  
Sophie Butler ◽  
...  

Aims and Method This study evaluated a pilot psychiatry summer school for GCSE students in terms of participant experience, effects on attitudes to mental illness and perception of psychiatry as a career option. This was done using the Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill scale, career choice questionnaires and a discussion group following the week-long programme attended by 26 students. Results Students were significantly more likely to choose psychiatry after the summer school (P = 0.01). There were statistically significant changes in scores for social restrictiveness (P = 0.04) and community mental health ideology (P = 0.02). Qualitative analysis generated four themes: variation in expectations, limited prior knowledge, perception of the summer school itself and uniformly positive attitudes to psychiatry after the summer school. Clinical implications Targeting students at this early stage appears to be an underexplored positive intervention for improving both attitudes towards mental illness and recruitment to psychiatry.


2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarína Letovancová ◽  
Nadežda Kovalčíková ◽  
Patricia Dobríková

Aims: Our survey has been aimed at identifying the society attitude towards people with mental illness in Slovakia. Method: Selected group comprised 1,624 adult respondents with 18 years of age as the bottom limit. We applied reduced 26-item Community Attitudes Toward Mentally Ill Scale (CAMI) to the survey of the society attitude towards people with mental illness. Results: Average score reached by the respondents reached 94.0800 points, indicating lower stigmatization rate than presumed. Further investigation revealed prejudice and stigmatizing attitudes at significant part of the population. The survey confirmed statistically significant differences at the attitudes in the terms of gender ( t = −6.559, p = .000), age within the categories (χ2 = 20.358, p = .000), education ( F = 9.137, p = .000), socio-economic status (χ2 = 50.487, p = .000) and occupation (χ2 = 47.989, p = .000). We also confirmed statistically significant relation between the attitude and age (−.085**, p = .001). Conclusion: The survey confirmed rather neutral up to slightly positive attitude of the Slovak population towards people with mental illness. Existence of attitudes burdened with fear was revealed in some cases, indicating the need for continuous education of the society in this subject matter.


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