Lay diagnoses and views on causes, coping strategies, and treatment for schizophrenia.

We aimed to clarify the relationship between lay diagnoses and perspectives on schizophrenia regarding causes, coping strategies, treatments, prognosis with and without the help of specialists. Our study sample was 500 adults in Japan. Participants read a vignette that depicted moderate to severe schizophrenic symptoms and yielded lay diagnoses. They also expressed their perspectives on the cause of the status in the vignette and coping strategies. We examined the relationship between lay diagnoses and the perspectives. Participants labeled the vignette as 'stress' held low expectations for the effectiveness of mental health professionals and psychiatric treatment. To enhance mental health literacy, it is important to help people distinguish a mental illness from mere stress. Lay diagnoses do not necessary have to be detailed, as long as people recognize a situation as an illness.