Proximity and the Formation of Public Attitudes towards Mental Illness

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of proximity on attitudes towards mental illness. One outcome of the policies referred to as deinstitutionalization is an overall reduction in the social and geographical distance between members of the public and the mentally ill. For deinstitutionalization to be successful, it is important that residents in impacted communities become more accepting, both in a passive and in an active sense. A survey was made of residents in two neighborhoods of the city of Norman, Oklahoma, one of which was adjacent to a large mental health facility. In a causal model framework, the relationship between proximity and public attitudes is investigated; and the results suggest an important and significant relationship. The implications of the study for public education campaigns about mental illness, and for facility location strategies, are discussed.