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Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health pp 75–93Cite as

Public Beliefs About Mental Illness

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Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

Public beliefs about mental illness are important for understanding when and how the public seeks treatment for mental illness, as well as how they behave toward those who suffer from mental illness. This chapter reviews recent research on public beliefs, focusing on trends. Although the public increasingly endorses a biomedical model, including a growing appreciation of genetic causes, the stigma of mental illness remains, buttressed by the public’s lingering fear of violence among those with mental illness. In addition, the public shows increasing enthusiasm for medical treatment for psychiatric disorders, but this is mixed with uncertainty regarding some particular applications. A close inspection of the public’s beliefs reveals more complexity than might be apparent when interpreting their beliefs in terms of mental health literacy or in terms of the consistency of public beliefs with a standard biomedical approach.

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Abbreviations

APA:

American Psychiatric Association

DSM:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

DTC:

Direct-to-consumer advertising

GSS:

General Social Survey

IAT:

Implicit Association Test

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, 3718 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6299, USA

    Jason Schnittker

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  1. Jason Schnittker
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Correspondence to Jason Schnittker .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health Sciences Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Carol S. Aneshensel

  2. Department of Sociomedical Sciences Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Jo C. Phelan

  3. Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Alex Bierman

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Schnittker, J. (2013). Public Beliefs About Mental Illness. In: Aneshensel, C.S., Phelan, J.C., Bierman, A. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_5

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