© 2000 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Stigmatisation of people with mental illnesses
Campaign to Combat Stigmatisation, The Royal College of Psychiatrists, London
College Research Unit, Royal College of Psychiatrists, London
Office for National Statistics, London
Correspondence: Professor A. H. Crisp, Changing Minds Campaign, The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 17 Belgrave Square, London SWIX 8PG ; e-mail : stigma{at}rcpsych.ac.uk
Declaration of interest Unconditional funding from Eli Lilly and Co.Ltd.
Background Recognition of the additional social handicaps and distress that people with mental illnesses experience as a result of prejudice.
Aims To determine opinions of the British adult population concerning those with mental illnesses as baseline data for a campaign to combat stigmatisation.
Method Survey of adults (n=1737 interviewed ; 65% response) regarding seven types of common mental disorders. Responses evaluated concerned eight specified perceptions.
Results Respondents commonly perceived people with schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug addiction as unpredictable and dangerous. The two latter conditions were also viewed as self-inflicted. People with any of the seven disorders were perceived as hard to talk with. Opinions about effects of treatment and prognosis suggested reasonable knowledge. About half the respondents reported knowing someone with a mental illness.
Conclusions Negative opinions indiscriminately overemphasise social handicaps that can accompany mental disorders. They contribute to social isolation, distress and difficulties in employment faced by sufferers. A campaign against stigma should take account of the differences in opinions about the seven disorders studied.
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