Summary
The present investigation is a study of the influence of attitudes towards mental illness on the experienced need for psychiatric treatment, using a population sample selected at random. The attitudes were evaluated with a Likert-type attitude scale, and the variation of attitude scores was analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance.
The main result was that subjects suffering from psychological disturbances manifested at psychiatric interviews and by other means, and who were assessed as being in need of psychiatric treatment, displayed more negative attitudes towards mental illness than those who were mentally healthy. Particularly negative attitudes were observed in subjects suffering from neuroses. On the other hand it could be established that positive attitudes towards mental illness correlated with subjective need of treatment and willingness to utilize psychiatric treatment. It was concluded that the demonstrated negative attitudes present an obvious problem for implementing the necessary treatment.
On the basis of the obtained results the improvement in attitudes towards mental illness and mental problems in general was recognized as an important social objective. This was considered to involve a more extensive educational obligation than a mere distribution of information.
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Lehtinen, V., Väisänen, E. Attitudes towards mental illness and utilization of psychiatric treatment. Soc Psychiatry 13, 63–68 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00583862
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00583862