Anja Baumann

Public attitudes towards people with mental illness in six German cities : Results of a public survey under special consideration of schizophrenia

Abstract.Objectives: Attitudes of the urban population in Germany towards people with mental illness were investigated in this study. The results are compared with those of attitude surveys conducted by other research centres participating in the World Psychiatric Associations (WPA) global anti-stigma-programme “Fighting Stigma and Discrimination because of Schizophrenia – Open the Doors” (WPA 1998). Methods: A total of 7,246 German-speaking persons aged 16 and over were interviewed in private households in six German cities by telephone using a standardised questionnaire. The respondents were asked about their knowledge in regard to schizophrenia, their social distance towards people with schizophrenia and estimations of the social stigmatisation of mental patients in general. Results: 33.1 % of the interviewees were able to name causes of schizophrenia. 76.5 % of the interviewees believe that people with schizophrenia often or very often need prescription drugs to control their symptoms. 81.1 % believe that most people would pass over the job application of a former mental patient in favour of another applicant. Conclusions: Improvements in the education of the public about mental illnesses and provision of the opportunity for personal contact with mentally ill people are considered to be important measures for promoting the acceptance of the mentally ill by the public.

Stigmatization, social distance and exclusion because of mental illness: The individual with mental illness as a ‘stranger’

The stigma attached to mental illness often leads to underestimation, underdiagnosis and undertreatment of mental disorders. A lack of knowledge of causes, symptoms and treatment options of mental disorders in the public and a lack of personal contact with affected individuals can result in prejudices and negative attitudes towards them–and subsequently in stigmatization and discrimination. Human beings suffering from mental illness often are recognized as ‘strangers’. But, social-psychological and philosophical analysis of the recognition of ‘strangeness’ in mentally ill individuals as one of the main predictors for social distance towards them, shows, that the other person only remains a stranger if the available cognitive patterns of interpretation fail. Society must provide the people living in it with the interpretational patterns to take away the recognized strangeness from mentally ill persons and thus making him, or her, an accepted other member.

Interventions to Reduce the Stigma Associated With Severe Mental Illness: Experiences From the Open the Doors Program in Germany

Stigma associated with mental illness and psychiatric treatment and the discrimination toward people with mental illnesses that frequently results from this are main obstacles preventing early and successful treatment. To reduce such stigma and discrimination, especially toward people with schizophrenia, the World Psychiatric Association antistigma program Open the Doors is currently being implemented in 27 countries. Since August 1999, the campaign has been executed in 7 project centres in Germany. Public information programs and educative measures aimed at selected target groups should improve the publics knowledge regarding symptomatology, causes, and treatment options for schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorders. Improved knowledge should in turn abolish prejudice and negative perceptions and facilitate the social reintegration of those suffering from mental illness.

The relationship between mental illness severity and stigma

Objective:  To investigate influencing factors for lay perception of mental illness severity and their effects on the stigma of mental illness.

Association of lay beliefs about causes of depression with social distance.

The aim of this study was to examine the association of lay attributions about causes of depression with attitudes and prejudiced behaviour towards people with depression.

Gesellschaftsrelevante Ansätze zur Überwindung von Stigma und Diskriminierung

Personen, die an einer psychischen Erkrankung leiden, werden nicht nur durch die Symptome ihrer Erkrankung beeintrachtigt, hinzu kommt die Belastung durch die gesellschaftliche Stigmatisierung und Diskriminierung aufgrund der Erkrankung. In Kap. 66 werden Definitionen von »Stigmatisierung« und »Diskriminierung« vorgestellt und Stigmakonzepte, wie sie Programmen und Kampagnen zur Bekampfung dieser Stigmatisierung zugrunde liegen, beschrieben. In diesem Kapitel wird der Zusammenhang zwischen Erkrankung, Stigma und psychiatrisch-psychotherapeutischer Versorgung unter besonderer Berucksichtigung der Rehabilitation psychisch Kranker dargestellt und Strategien, Stigmatisierung zu begegnen, vorgestellt und diskutiert. Internationale und nationale Programme und Kampagnen zur Bekampfung der Stigmatisierung aufgrund von psychischer Erkrankung werden vorgestellt und Methoden und Ergebnisse von Messungen ihrer Effekte und ihrer Effektivitat thematisiert.