Abstract
This study aimed to investigate mental health literacy (MHL) with respect to dementia. Three forms of dementia were investigated. In all, 167 participants completed an online questionnaire which consisted of five vignettes that described the three dementia conditions, as well as depression and typical ageing. The vignette characters had no age specified, or they were described as 50-years-old or 70-years-old. Participants had to firstly decide if there was a disorder present and identify it by name, then answer questions relating to treatment and help-seeking. Results showed that participants could identify Alzheimer’s Disease significantly more so than they could vascular or frontotemporal dementia. All three dementias were significantly more recognised when the vignette was described as a 70-year-old. Frontotemporal dementia was significantly misdiagnosed as depression. Participant education and mental health experience did not influence the identification of dementia. Compared to some other well-known mental illnesses like schizophrenia, lay people are relatively good at recognising Alzheimer’s disease, but much less so at other forms of dementia. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.
Highlights
There is the question about individual differences in dementia mental health literacy (MHL) which may help educators target those most in need to understand the condition
The current study aimed to investigate the lay theories of three different forms of dementia; Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal and vascular dementia
The results show that only frontotemporal dementia appeared to be significantly misdiagnosed as depression in 32% of incidences
Summary
Implications and limitations of the study are discussed This is a mental health literacy study concerning lay people’s ability to differentiate between different types of dementia, as well as clinical depression and normal aging. There is the question about individual differences in dementia mental health literacy (MHL) which may help educators target those most in need to understand the condition. From a theoretical point of view, MHL studies reveal lay understandings of mental and general physical health. They show how and where their understanding is different from professionals as well as how and why it differs from culture to culture [8]. It gives an insight into what is called transitional psychiatry and the aging process [9,10,11]
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