Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T23:16:06.919Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Attitude towards psychiatric patients: a pilot study in a northern Italian town

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

R. Vezzoli ,
L. Archiati ,
C. Buizza ,
P. Pasqualetti ,
G. Rossi  and
R. Pioli
R. Vezzoli
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS ‘Centro S. Giovanni di Dio’ Fatebenefratelli, via Pilastroni 4, Brescia, Italy
L. Archiati
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS ‘Centro S. Giovanni di Dio’ Fatebenefratelli, via Pilastroni 4, Brescia, Italy
C. Buizza*
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS ‘Centro S. Giovanni di Dio’ Fatebenefratelli, via Pilastroni 4, Brescia, Italy
P. Pasqualetti
Affiliation:
AFaR – CRCCS Ospedale Fatebenefratelli, Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy
G. Rossi
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS ‘Centro S. Giovanni di Dio’ Fatebenefratelli, via Pilastroni 4, Brescia, Italy
R. Pioli
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS ‘Centro S. Giovanni di Dio’ Fatebenefratelli, via Pilastroni 4, Brescia, Italy
*
*Correspondence and reprints: Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico “Centro S. Giovanni di Dio - FBF”, via Pilastroni, 4, 25125 Brescia, Italy. E-mail address:[email protected] (C. Buizza).
Get access

Summary

The stigmatisation of the psychiatric patient is still a strong barrier to the integration process of these subjects in our society. Therefore, it is necessary to identify what types of prejudices exist and the types of variables with which they are linked, in order to plan strategies to reduce them. In this exploratory study we administered a semi-structured interview to 303 subjects in order to examine the relationships between social attitudes towards mental disorders and some social demographic variables, the information about mental disorders and the previous ‘contacts’ with psychiatric patients.

The data analysis shows that there is a relationship between knowledge of psychiatric patients and a more positive attitude towards them (i.e., less fear, more integration and work opportunities). This study is to be considered preliminary as far as people’s attitudes towards psychiatric patients are concerned. This result encourages the planning and implementation of sensitisation and information programs concerning mental disorders, in the sense that increasing the knowledge of mental disorders could lead to significant achievements in the important fight against the stigma surrounding psychiatric patients.

Keywords

attitudes toward the mentally illcommunity carestigma
Type
Original Articles
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 16 , Issue 8 , December 2001 , pp. 451 - 458
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Angermeyer, MCMatschinger, H.The effect of personal experience with mental illness on the attitude toward individuals suffering from mental disorders. Epidemiol Psychiatric Soc 1996; 31: 321–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellelli, G.L'altra malattia. Come la società pensa la malattia mentale. Napoli: Liguori; 1994.Google Scholar
Bellotti, GTiberi, ERavaccia, F.Immagine del malato di mente in alcuni quotidiani e settimanali. IKON 101/1021977 137–55.Google Scholar
Boiral, PBrouat, JP.Les representations sociales de la folie. Montpellier: Coop. Recherche; 1987.Google Scholar
Brockington, IFHall, PLevings, J. et al. The community tolerance of the mentally ill. Br J Psychiatry 1993; 162: 93–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Contini, GStraticò, E.Il tramonto del manicomio. Bologna: C.L.U.E.B; 1998.Google Scholar
Crepet, P.L'andamento del ricovero psichiatrico in Italia negli ultimi vent'anni. Riv Sper Freniatr 1992; 116: 675–87.Google Scholar
Dell’Acqua, GCogliati Dezza, MG.The end of the mental hospital. A review of the psychiatric experience in Trieste. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1985; 316: 45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilli, LOliva, L.“Et si on vous parlait…folie?”. Vers une representation sociale de la maladie mentale. Ecole des cadres infirmiers de CHR. Montpellier: Roneo; 1980.Google Scholar
Link, BGCullen, FT.Contact with the mentally ill and perceptions of how dangerous they are. J Health Soc Behav 1986; 27: 230–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Penn, DLGuynan, KDaily, T. et al. Dispelling the stigma of schizophrenia: what sort of information is best?. Schizophr Bull 1994; 20: 567–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perris, CKemali, D.Focus on the Italian psychiatric reform: an introduction. Acta Psychiatr Scand 316Suppl1985 135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reda, S.Public perceptions of former psychiatric patients in England. Psychiatr Serv 1996; 47: 1253–5.Google ScholarPubMed
Rossler, WSalize, HJ.Factors affecting public attitudes towards mental health care. Eur Arch Psy Clin Neurosci 1995; 245: 20–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scheff, TJ.Being mentally ill. A sociological theory. Chicago: Aldine Pubbl; 1966.Google Scholar
Tansella, MWillams, P.The Italian experience and its implications. Psychol M 1987; 17: 283–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, MDear, JD.Scaling community attitudes toward the mentally ill. Schizophr Bull 1981; 7: 225–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tefft, BSegall, ATrute, B.Neighbourhood response to community mental health facilities for the chronically mentally disabled. Can J Community Ment Health 1987; 6: 37–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trute, BTefft, BSegall, A.Social rejection of the mentally ill: a replication study of public attitude. Epidemiol Psychiatric Soc 1989; 24: 69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Volpe, MGiurazza, RCostantino, L. et al. Il pregiudizio: ancora un'inerzia nella pratica terapeutica ed assistenziale. AA, VV, Ed.; L'albero dell'utopia. Vol. 3. Napoli: Spazi della Mente; 1987.Google Scholar
Wolff, GPathare, SCraig, T. et al. Community attitudes to mental illness. Br J Psychiatry 1996; 168: 183–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.