OBJECTIVE: The perception of how most people stigmatize mentally ill persons has consequences for the affected. Is a former stay in a mental hospital connected with an additional stigma? METHOD: In three linguistic areas of Switzerland we conducted a representative opinion survey (N = 1737) on public attitude towards mental illness, psychiatric treatment, and the institutions involved. Using Link's "devaluation-discrimination-scale" a randomly selected sample was asked on the telephone about the perceived stigma concerning (1) a currently mentally ill person or (2) a former mentally ill person or (3) a former mental inpatient. RESULTS: In all three linguistic areas of Switzerland we found in the case of current illness a lower social acceptance or a higher discrimination, respectively. Also in all linguistic areas those who were asked about "former mental illness" or "former stay in a mental hospital" did not differ regarding perceived acceptance or discrimination. DISCUSSION: Our data does not confirm the assumption of increased stigma because of a former stay in a mental hospital. An inquiry of subjective experience of a hospital stay, however, would probably lead to other results than that of a public survey.
OBJECTIVE: The perception of how most people stigmatize mentally ill persons has consequences for the affected. Is a former stay in a mental hospital connected with an additional stigma? METHOD: In three linguistic areas of Switzerland we conducted a representative opinion survey (N = 1737) on public attitude towards mental illness, psychiatric treatment, and the institutions involved. Using Link's "devaluation-discrimination-scale" a randomly selected sample was asked on the telephone about the perceived stigma concerning (1) a currently mentally ill person or (2) a former mentally ill person or (3) a former mental inpatient. RESULTS: In all three linguistic areas of Switzerland we found in the case of current illness a lower social acceptance or a higher discrimination, respectively. Also in all linguistic areas those who were asked about "former mental illness" or "former stay in a mental hospital" did not differ regarding perceived acceptance or discrimination. DISCUSSION: Our data does not confirm the assumption of increased stigma because of a former stay in a mental hospital. An inquiry of subjective experience of a hospital stay, however, would probably lead to other results than that of a public survey.
Authors: Alina Beldie; Johan A den Boer; Cecilia Brain; Eric Constant; Maria Luisa Figueira; Igor Filipcic; Benoît Gillain; Miro Jakovljevic; Marek Jarema; Daniela Jelenova; Oguz Karamustafalioglu; Blanka Kores Plesnicar; Andrea Kovacsova; Klara Latalova; Josef Marksteiner; Filipa Palha; Jan Pecenak; Jan Prasko; Dan Prelipceanu; Petter Andreas Ringen; Norman Sartorius; Erich Seifritz; Jaromir Svestka; Magdalena Tyszkowska; Johannes Wancata Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2012-04 Impact factor: 4.328