scholarly journals Lay Beliefs about Treatments for People with Mental Illness and Their Implications for Antistigma Strategies

2005 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 745-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Lauber ◽  
Nordt Carlos ◽  
Rössler Wulf
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Evidence Based Treatments ◽  
Social Treatment ◽  
Nonmedical Treatment

Objective: First, to describe factors influencing the public's attitude toward treatment recommendations for people with mental illness; second, to identify coherent belief systems about the helpfulness of specific interventions; and third, to discuss how to ameliorate mental health literacy and antistigma strategies. Method: Participants of a representative telephone survey in the general population ( n = 1737) were presented with a vignette depicting a person with either schizophrenia or depression. From a list of suggestions, they were asked to recommend treatments for this person. We used a factor analysis to group these proposals and used the factors as the dependent variables in a multiple regression analysis. Results: Treatment suggestions are summarized in 4 groups, each characterizing a specific therapeutic approach: 1) psychopharmacological proposals (that is, psychotropic drugs), 2) therapeutic counselling (from a psychologist or psychiatrist or psychotherapy), 3) alternative suggestions (such as homeopathy), and 4) social advice (for example, from a social worker). Medical treatments were proposed by people who had a higher education, who had a positive attitude toward psychopharmacology, who correctly recognized the person depicted in the vignette as being ill, who were presented with the schizophrenia vignette, who kept social distance, and who had contact with mentally ill people. The variables could explain alternative and social treatment proposals only to a small extent. Conclusions: The public's beliefs about treatment for people with mental illness are organized into 4 coherent systems, 2 of which involve evidence-based treatments. Medical treatment proposals are influenced by adequate mental health literacy; however, they are also linked to more social distance toward people with mental illness. Additionally, efforts to better explain nonmedical treatment suggestions are needed. Implications for further antistigma strategies are discussed.

Mental health literacy and attitude towards people with mental illness: A trend analysis based on population surveys in the eastern part of Germany

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 225-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.C. Angermeyer ◽  
A. Holzinger ◽  
H. Matschinger
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Trend Analysis ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Population Surveys ◽  
People With Mental Illness

AbstractBackgroundThere is growing evidence that mental health literacy has improved in western countries in recent years. The question arises as to whether this trend is paralleled by an improvement of attitudes towards people with mental illness.AimTo examine the development of mental health literacy and the desire for social distance towards people with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder in Eastern Germany over a time period of eight years.MethodA trend analysis was carried out using data from two population surveys conducted in the eastern part of Germany in 1993 and 2001. By means of a fully structured interview psychiatric labelling, causal beliefs, help-seeking and treatment recommendations as well as the desire for social distance was assessed.ResultsWhile there was an increase in the mental health literacy of the public, the desire for social distance from people with major depression and schizophrenia remained unchanged or even increased.ConclusionsThe assumption underlying a number of anti-stigma campaigns, namely that educating people about mental disorders may automatically lead to the improvement of their attitudes towards the mentally ill, appears questionable.

scholarly journals The Long-Term Effectiveness of Interventions Addressing Mental Health Literacy and Stigma of Mental Illness in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Maria Freţian ◽  
Patricia Graf ◽  
Sandra Kirchhoff ◽  
Gloria Glinphratum ◽  
Torsten M. Bollweg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Stigmatizing Attitudes

Objectives: This study aims to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature on the long-term effects of interventions addressing children’s and adolescents’ mental health literacy and/or stigmatizing attitudes.Methods: Articles in English or German published between January 1997 and May 2020 were retrieved from five databases, leading to a total of 4,375 original articles identified.Results: 25 studies were included after applying exclusion criteria, 13 of which were eligible for meta-analysis. The overall average of the follow-up period was about 5 months. Long-term improvements were sustained for mental health literacy, d = 0.48, 95% CI = (0.34, 0.62), as well as for stigmatizing attitudes, d = 0.30, 95% CI = (0.24, 0.36), and social distance, d = 0.16, 95% CI = (0.03, 0.29). The combination of educational and contact components within interventions led to worse results for mental health literacy, but not stigmatizing attitudes or social distance.Conclusion: Interventions targeting children and adolescents generally have a brief follow-up period of an average of 5 months. They show a stable improvement in mental health literacy, but are to a lesser degree able to destigmatize mental illness or improve social distance.

scholarly journals Training-of-Trainers Neuroscience and Mental Health Teacher Education in Liberia Improves Self-Reported Support for Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara Brick ◽  
Janice L. Cooper ◽  
Leona Mason ◽  
Sangay Faeflen ◽  
Josiah Monmia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Tier Ii ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Training Of Trainers ◽  
Teacher Mental Health

Education programs have been central to reestablishing social norms, rebuilding public educational institutions, and addressing public attitudes toward mental illness in Liberia following a protracted civil war and the Ebola epidemic. The aim of this study was to determine if a program combining an understanding of neuroscience with mental health literacy content could increase teachers’ awareness of students’ mental health issues and produce changes in teacher attitudes and classroom practices. A tiered Training-of-Trainers approach was employed. The first workshop trained 24 Liberian secondary science teachers in the neurobiology of learning, memory, emotions, stress and adolescent brain development. A Leadership Team formed from eight of the Tier I participants then adapted the curriculum, added in more mental health literacy content and led four Tier II workshops and four follow-up Refresher sessions. Participants completed a neuroscience knowledge test and surveys assessing stigma, general perceptions of people with mental illness, and burnout. A subset of Tier II teachers participated in a structured interview at the Refresher time point. Teachers in both tiers acquired basic neuroscience knowledge. Tier I, but not Tier II teachers significantly improved their surveyed attitudes toward people with mental illness. No changes were found in overall teacher burnout. Despite these survey results, the interviewed Tier II teachers self-reported behavioral changes in how they approached their teaching and students in their classrooms. Interviewees described how they now understood social and emotional challenges students might be experiencing and recognized abnormal behaviors as having a biopsychosocial basis. Teachers reported reduced use of verbal and corporal punishment and increased positive rewards systems, such as social and emotional support for students through building relationships. Refresher discussions concurred with the interviewees. In contrast to previous teacher mental health literacy programs which did not bring about a change in helping behaviors, this pilot program may have been successful in changing teacher knowledge and self-reported behaviors, improving teacher–student relationships and decreasing harsh discipline. The combination of basic neuroscience concepts with training on how to recognize mental health issues and refer students should be investigated further as a strategy to promote teacher mental health literacy.

scholarly journals Knowledge of and attitudes to major depressive disorder and its treatment in a sample of the general population in Serbia

2020 ◽  
Vol 148 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 94-99
Author(s):  
Ivona Milacic-Vidojevic ◽  
Marija Colic ◽  
Branka Draskovic
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
General Population ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
People With Mental Illness

Introduction/Objective. The objective of this paper was to examine the mental health literacy of the general population in Serbia and their attitudes towards persons with a mental illness. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study with structured interview using the vignette of a person with major depressive disorder (MDD). The attitudes towards people with mental illness were assessed by the Department of Health Attitudes to Mental Illness Questionnaire. A convenient sample consisted of 504 participants. Results. A total of 72% of the sample recognized the presence of some sort of mental health problem, of which 40.9% correctly labeled the symptoms as MDD. The majority of participants believed that MDD was caused more by stress than by biological factors. A psychologist, a close friend, and a psychiatrist were often rated as helpful for the person described by the vignette. Vitamins and healing herbs were rated as the most helpful remedy. Antidepressants were considered both helpful and harmful. The attitudes towards people with mental illness were moderately positive. Conclusion. Mental health literacy in Serbia is moderate. Risk factors for negative attitudes included older age and lower education.

scholarly journals T130. A SURVEY OF MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY USING THE INTERNET IN JAPAN

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S279-S280
Author(s):  
Taiju Yamaguchi ◽  
Yoshiyo Oguchi ◽  
Yasutaka Ojio ◽  
Ryoichi Mori ◽  
Minako Oooka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
General Public ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
The Internet ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Major Factors

Abstract Background Insufficient mental health literacy (MHL) of the general public is one of the major factors that prevent early intervention for mental illness. Insufficient MHL may exacerbate the stigma attached to people with mental illness. In Japan, there have been few large-scale surveys to determine the MHL level of the general public. Hence, we conducted a large-scale internet-based survey of 3000 citizens, to clarify the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of the general public with respect to “prevention of and recovery from mental illness.” Methods We conducted a survey of 3000 citizens (aged 18 to 79 years, 1483 males and 1517 females) to determine their MHL level, using a questionnaire posted on the internet. The survey consisted of 22 questions about MHL, grouped into 8 categories. Results The results of our survey were as follows: Discussion It was found that in Japan, many citizens were aware of the importance of mental health, but that there was still a stigma attached to people with mental illness. In addition, they were found to be still poorly aware of representative mental illnesses, such as depression and schizophrenia. For improving these aspects, the MHL level of the general public needs to be further improved. In Japan, it has been pointed out that education on mental health is insufficient. However, education on mental health as a course on “prevention of and recovery from mental illness” is expected to be started in high schools in 2022. This would be expected to further improve the MHL level of the general public in the near future.

Evaluation of a Resilience-Based Intervention for Children of Parents With Mental Illness

2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (12) ◽  
pp. 1041-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliza Fraser ◽  
Kenneth I. Pakenham
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Participant Satisfaction ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Treatment Gains ◽  
And Control

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a group psychosocial intervention for children (aged 12–18) of a parent with mental illness (copmi). Method: A treatment and waitlist-control design study with pre- and post-treatment, and 8 week follow up, was carried out. The treatment (n = 27) and control (n=17) groups were compared on three groups of dependent variables: intervention targets (mental health literacy, connectedness, coping strategies), adjustment (depression, life satisfaction, prosocial behaviour, emotional/behavioural difficulties), and caregiving experiences. Results: Group comparisons failed to show statistically significant intervention effects, but reliable clinical change analyses suggested that compared to the control group, more intervention participants had clinically significant improvements in mental health literacy, depression, and life satisfaction. These treatment gains were maintained 8 weeks after treatment. Participant satisfaction data supported these treatment gains. Conclusions: Given study limitations and the modest support for intervention effectiveness it is important that this and other similar interventions should continue to be revised and undergo rigorous evaluation.

Mental Health Education and Literacy in Schools

2021 ◽  
pp. 589-608
Author(s):  
Matthew Dale
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Mental Health Education ◽  
Health Promotion And Education

This chapter will look at the current situation concerning youth mental health in Australia and provide information about youth mental health literacy, which was first coined by Jorm in 1997. A literature review of current Australian mental health promotion and education programs being offered in schools will be conducted as well as examples of some of the better-known ones that have been implemented internationally. The evolution of mental health education in Australian schools will be examined so as to provide a perspective of how some of the current programs came into being or existence. The main aim of this chapter will be to highlight the high prevalence of mental illness that exists amongst young people in Australia and how implementing mental health education in schools can be beneficial and helpful in improving their mental health and wellbeing. Mental health education in schools can help in breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Another benefit is that young people will be able to identify mental health problems earlier amongst their peers and in themselves, which can lead to early help seeking, especially due to young people gaining a higher level of mental health literacy through mental health education programs.

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