Social distance in response to psychiatric labels.

Abstract

Several factors contribute to the amount of social distance individuals desire from each other, including the presence of a psychiatric label. This study examines aspects of the relationship between four specific psychiatric labels and social distance. A social distance scale was developed for this purpose and used in a pilot study. Three-hundred-and-thirteen participants answered questions about their willingness to be involved in relationships of varying degrees of closeness with people who have psychiatric diagnoses. We found that individuals who have a close friend or family member with a mental illness, in contrast to those who have no such relationship, desire less social distance from people with mental illness. Those who were given some information about specific diagnoses desired greater social distance from people who have mental illness than participants who were given only diagnostic labels. These findings highlight the need to evaluate how people who are not in the helping professions learn about psychiatric conditions and how this knowledge impacts beliefs and behaviors.