Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Attitudes Towards People with Mental Disorders in a GeneralPopulation in Finland compared to non-users, were more pessimistic about recovery.Personal agreement with seeing depression as a stigmatizing disease was associated with use of mental health services.Personal agreement with the stereotype that people with mental health problems are unpredictable was linked to less use of mental health services.These results suggest that the message "Depression is a real medical condition" is insufficient in anti-stigma campaigns.It is important to emphasize that depression is not one's own fault, and that people do not have to manage depression on their own.The results also suggest that older people and those who are unfamiliar with mental health problems are potential target groups for reducing stigma.When planning interventions to eliminate negative stereotypes, one potential target group could be men with low sense of life control and poor social networks.Although those with depression are afraid of becoming stigmatized within the health care system and may stigmatize themselves, this does not necessarily prevent professional service use if depression is serious and views about antidepressant medication are realistic.
Author: Esa Aromaa
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2138892289