1,721,057 research outputs found
The diffusion of the diagnostic term bipolar disorder among the German public
No full textIn 2005, 15 years after the introduction of the diagnosis in DSM-III, a telephone survey in Germany revealed that the public was still unfamiliar with the term bipolar disorder. Only 5.3% of those questioned knew at the time that it denotes a mental illness. In the meantime, efforts have been made to spread the concept among the public. In the media there has been increasing mention of the disorder. Another telephone survey in 2017 showed that familiarity with the diagnostic term has grown substantially. 54.0% of respondents now connected the term bipolar disorder with a mental illness
Changes in the perception in the mental health stigma in Germany over the last two decades
No full textGender differences in public beliefs and attitudes about mental disorder in western countries: a systematic review of population studies
No full textAims. While quite a number of theories and hypotheses about gender differences in public beliefs and attitudes about mental illness have been proposed, the empirical evidence, particularly evidence based on population studies, is rather scarce.
Methods. A systematic review of population-based studies providing information on gender differences in beliefs about mental disorders and attitudes towards the mentally ill was carried out.
Results. While both genders are no different in their willingness to seek informal help for mental illness, women seem more ready to recommend professional help than men. They also evaluate treatment outcomes more favourably. Women are more likely to endorse psychosocial conceptualizations of mental illness than men, and, in consequence, are more in favour of psychotherapy. With a few exceptions, women do not seem to display more favourable attitudes than men towards people with mental disorder. Female patients seem to be rejected by the public less than male patients.
Conclusions. Our review suggests that gender matters in public beliefs and attitudes about mental illness. Some theoretical assumptions are supported by empirical findings, others not. However, as evidence is rather scarce, further studies testing theory-driven hypotheses are needed
Biogenetic explanations and public acceptance of mental illness: systematic review of population studies
No full textThe loss of sadness: the public's view
No full textObjective: With the exception of bereavement, the diagnosis of major depressive disorder in the DSM-IV does not take into account the context in which the symptoms occur. Recent criticism has maintained that common sense suggests making a distinction between depression as mental disorder and sorrow as 'normal' reaction to social stress. This study sets out to investigate whether the public does in fact make this distinction. Method: In spring 2009, a population-based survey was conducted by phone in the city of Vienna (n=1205). A fully structured interview was carried out which began with the presentation of a vignette describing a diagnostically unlabeled case of depression, with or without provision of information about preceding stressful life events. Results: Respondents presented with vignettes containing information on loss events were less likely to define depressive symptoms as indication of mental illness. They were also not as willing to recommend professional help. And if they were, they tended to less frequently recommend seeking help from someone with a medical background. Conclusion: In contrast to the conceptualization in the DSM-IV, the public tends to perceive depressive symptoms differently depending on the context in which they occur
Recommendations of the Sardinian public for the treatment of depression
No full textBackground: Public beliefs about appropriate treatment impact, help-seeking and treatment adherence.Aim: To determine the recommendations of the Sardinian public for the treatment of depression.Methods: In 2012, a population-based survey was conducted by phone in Sardinia (N = 1,200). In the context of a fully structured interview, respondents were presented with a vignette depicting a case of depression. Subsequently, they were asked about their treatment recommendations. The results are contrasted with findings from a similar survey which had been conducted in Vienna 3 years before.Results: In Sardinia as in Vienna, psychotherapy was the uncontested favorite, while antidepressant medication was recommended by relatively few respondents. In Sardinia, there were also no marked differences between urban and rural areas with regard to these two treatments. However, between Sardinia and Vienna, as well as within Sardinia, great differences were found with regard to autogenic training and ?alternative? methods like homeopathic medicines and acupuncture.Conclusion: Cross-cultural comparisons may help better understand treatment preferences of the public. In Sardinia, as in Vienna, there seems to be a need for improving the public?s knowledge about the appropriate treatment of depression
A systematic review of school-based alcohol and other drug prevention programs
Full text linkBackground: Alcohol use in adolescents constitutes a major public health concern. Europe is the heaviest drinking
region of the world. Several school-based alcohol prevention programs have been developed but it is not clear whether
they are really effective. The present study was aimed at identifying the typology with the best evidence of effectiveness
in European studies. Methods: A systematic search of meta-analyses and/or randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on interventions
school-based prevention programs aimed at preventing alcohol consumption or changing the attitudes to consume
alcohol. Results: A meta-analysis published in 2011 and 12 RCTs more recently published were identified. The
meta-analysis evaluated 53 RCTs but only 11.3% of them were conducted in Europe. Globally, 23 RCTs (43.4%) showed
some evidence of effectiveness, and 30 RCTs (56.6%) did not find significant difference between the groups. According
to the conclusions of the meta-analysis, the Unplugged program should be considered as a practice option in Europe.
Among the other 12 RCTs, 42% were conducted in Europe. Globally, 7 studies (58.3%) achieved positive results, and 5
studies (41.7%) did not find significant differences or produced a mixed pattern of results. Three of the 5 European trials
(60%) used the Unplugged program with positive results. Conclusion: Even if further studies should be conducted to confirm
these results, Unplugged appears to be the prevention project with the best evidence of effectiveness in European
studies
Volunteering in the care of people with severe mental illness: a systematic review
No full textAbstract Background Much of the literature to date concerning public attitudes towards people with severe mental illness (SMI) has focused on negative stereotypes and discriminatory behaviour. However, there also exists a tradition of volunteering with these people, implying a more positive attitude. Groups with positive attitudes and behaviours towards people with SMI have received relatively little attention in research. They merit further attention, as evidence on characteristics and experiences of volunteers may help to promote volunteering. The present paper aims to systematically review the literature reporting characteristics, motivations, experiences, and benefits of volunteers in the care of people with SMI. Methods In November 2010, a systematic electronic search was carried out in BNI, CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Cochrane Registers and Web of Science databases, using a combination of ‘volunteer’, ‘mental health’ and ‘outcome’ search terms. A secondary hand search was performed in relevant psychiatric journals, grey literature and references. Results 14 papers met the inclusion criteria for the review, with data on a total of 540 volunteers. The results suggest that volunteers are a mostly female, but otherwise heterogeneous group. Motivations for volunteering are a combination of what they can ‘give’ to others and what they can ‘get’ for themselves. Overall volunteers report positive experiences. The main benefit to persons with a psychiatric illness is the gaining of a companion, who is non-stigmatizing and proactive in increasing their social-community involvement. Conclusions The evidence base for volunteers in care of people with SMI is small and inconsistent. However there are potential implications for both current and future volunteering programmes from the data. As the data suggests that there is no ‘typical’ volunteer, volunteering programmes should recruit individuals from a variety of backgrounds. The act of volunteering can not only benefit people with SMI, but also the volunteers. Further research may specify methods of recruiting, training, supervising and using volunteers to maximise the benefit for all involved.</p
Decreases in depression over 20 years in a mining area of Sardinia: Due to selective migration?
No full textBackground
The objective of the study was to determine if community surveys, conducted 3 times over a period of 20 years in a small district of Sardinia (Italy), confirm the increase in depressive disorders reported in the recent literature.
Methods
Three community surveys were carried out on randomized samples of the same Sardinian mining area in 1988, 1998 and 2008. The surveys were conducted using the interview “Present State Examination” in 1988 (Depression diagnosed with ICD-IX) and the CIDI-S in 1998 and 2008 (Major Depression diagnosed with ICD-X). The three surveys produced estimates of one-month prevalence and of lifetime prevalence in 1998 and 2008.
Results
Our work found a substantial decrease in depressive disorders from the survey conducted in 1998 to the survey in 2008 using a similar methodology, except in the youngest age group, which showed an increase in the rate. A decrease in the frequency of depressive disorders compared to what was found 20 years ago was also observed. However, in this case the comparison is more problematic because of use of different diagnostic systems.
Discussion
The research seems to show a decrease in depressive disorders over the past two decades. While the small population examined makes it difficult to generalize the overall findings, this study suggests that the hypothesis of an increase in the incidence of depressive disorders since the 1980s in western countries, should have exceptions. A complex interaction between socio-economic (mining closure and large migration) and biological factors (possible selective migration) is likely to influence changes in the prevalence of mood disorders. However, due to certain limitations of this study, this hypothesis may be considered from an heuristic perspective
Public attitudes towards psychiatry and psychiatric treatment at the beginning of the 21st century: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population surveys
No full textPublic attitudes towards psychiatry are crucial determinants of help-seeking for mental illness. It has been argued that psychiatry as a discipline enjoys low esteem among the public, and a “crisis” of psychiatry has been noted. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of population studies examining public attitudes towards various aspects of psychiatric care. Our search in PubMed, Web of Science, PsychINFO and bibliographies yielded 162 papers based on population surveys conducted since 2000 and published no later than 2015. We found that professional help for mental disorders generally enjoys high esteem. While general practitioners are the preferred source of help for depression, mental health professionals are the most trusted helpers for schizophrenia. If respondents have to rank sources of help, they tend to favor mental health professionals, while open questions yield results more favorable to general practitioners. Psychiatrists and psychologists/psychotherapists are equally recommended for the treatment of schizophrenia, while for depression psychologists/psychotherapists are more recommended, at least in Europe and America. Psychotherapy is consistently preferred over medication. Attitudes towards seeking help from psychiatrists or psychologists/psychotherapists as well as towards medication and psychotherapy have markedly improved over the last twenty-five years. Biological concepts of mental illness are associated with stronger approval of psychiatric help, particularly medication. Self-stigma and negative attitudes towards persons with mental illness decrease the likelihood of personally considering psychiatric help. In conclusion, the public readily recommends psychiatric help for the treatment of mental disorders. Psychotherapy is the most popular method of psychiatric treatment. A useful strategy to further improve the public image of psychiatry could be to stress that listening and understanding are at the core of psychiatric care
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