Public beliefs about the causes of mental disorders revisited

Georg Schomerus; Herbert Matschinger; Matthias C Angermeyer

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2006.05.002

Public beliefs about the causes of mental disorders revisited

Psychiatry Res. 2006 Nov 15;144(2-3):233-6. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2006.05.002. Epub 2006 Sep 15.

Authors

Georg Schomerus¹, Herbert Matschinger, Matthias C Angermeyer

Affiliation

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany. georg.schomerus@medizin.uni-leipzig.de

PMID: 16979245
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2006.05.002

Abstract

When the lay public is asked to prioritize their causal beliefs for a vignette depicting either schizophrenia or depression, psychosocial causes are most popular for depression, but a large proportion of respondents prefers biological causes for schizophrenia. Recognition of the vignette as mental illness enhances the likelihood to endorse brain disease as a cause and reduces choices of certain psychosocial causes.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Attitude to Health*
Culture*
Humans
Mental Disorders / etiology*
Public Opinion*
Surveys and Questionnaires*