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Published Online: 1 May 2012

Combining Biomedical Accounts of Mental Disorders With Treatability Information to Reduce Mental Illness Stigma

Abstract

Objective:

Biomedical accounts of mental disorders are increasingly prevalent but can yield pessimism about prognosis and fail to reduce stigma. The authors tested whether information emphasizing the treatability of mental disorders could reduce stigma by contradicting the prognostic pessimism associated with biological attributions.

Methods:

A total of 249 participants recruited online read vignettes about two individuals—one with schizophrenia and one with borderline personality disorder. The vignettes attributed the disorders to biological or nonbiological causes and did or did not include information about treatment. Participants' attitudes toward the individual were assessed with social distance scales.

Results:

Participants who received information about treatment had more positive attitudes toward the individual described in the vignette if the disorder was attributed to a biological cause, but treatment information had no such effect if the disorder was attributed to a nonbiological cause.

Conclusions:

Combining biomedical accounts of psychopathology with information about treatment appears to be an effective destigmatization approach. (Psychiatric Services 63:496–499, 2012; doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201100265)

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Figure 1 Mean scores for attitudes toward persons with mental illness attributed to a nonbiological or biological cause, by presence of treatment information

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services
Psychiatric Services
Pages: 496 - 499
PubMed: 22388477

History

Published online: 1 May 2012
Published in print: May 2012

Authors

Details

Matthew S. Lebowitz, A.B. [email protected]
Mr. Lebowitz and Dr. Ahn are affiliated with the Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT 06511 (e-mail: [email protected]).
Woo-kyoung Ahn, Ph.D. [email protected]
Mr. Lebowitz and Dr. Ahn are affiliated with the Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT 06511 (e-mail: [email protected]).

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