HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS Psychiatric Bulletin Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in BJP Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Berzins, K. M. Articles by Atkinson, J. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Berzins, K. M. Articles by Atkinson, J. M.

Prevalence and experience of harassment of people with mental health problems living in the community

Nuffield Centre for Community Care Studies, University of Glasgow

Jacqueline M. Atkinson, PhD

Department of Public Health, University of Glasgow

Correspondence: Kathryn M. Berzins, Nuffield Centre for Community Care Studies, University of Glasgow, Gregory Building, 27 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK. Tel: 0141330 5600; fax: 0141330 4976; e-mail: K.M.Berzins{at}clinmed.gla.ac.uk

Declaration of interest This study was funded by the Communities Fund and was the result of a partnership between the Nuffield Centre for Community Care Studies, University of Glasgow, the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland) and the Scottish users' network.

Background The levels and experiences of harassment of people with mental health problems in the community compared with those of the general population have not been explored.

Aims To measure the levels and experience of harassment experienced by people with mental health problems in the community in Scotland and compare them with the general population.

Method Experiences of harassment were collected by interviewing 165 individuals with mental health problems and a control group of 165 people from the general population.

Results Harassment in the community was found to be twice as common for individuals with mental health problems (41%) than for those in the general population (15%). The harassment commonly involved verbal abuse referring to the individual's mental health problems and was committed primarily by teenagers and neighbours.

Conclusions Harassment has a significantly higher prevalence among individuals with mental health problems living in the community and is believed to have a detrimental effect on mental health.

Related articles in BJP:

Highlights of this issue

BJP 2003 183: 477-a23. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				O. Gureje, V. O. Lasebikan, O. Ephraim-Oluwanuga, B. O. Olley, and L. Kola Community study of knowledge of and attitude to mental illness in Nigeria The British Journal of Psychiatry, May 1, 2005; 186(5): 436 - 441. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]