Abstract
Background: There have been few studies on the stigma associated with mental disorders among non-mental health professionals in general hospitals in China. This study seeks to explore mental health-related stigma and the desire for social distance among non-mental health professionals in general hospitals in Hunan Province in China.Methods: The study was carried out with 1123 non-mental health professionals in six general hospitals in Hunan Province by using a questionnaire with a case vignette describing either schizophrenia, depression, or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Questions were asked about the attitudes of participants and other people towards individuals with mental disorders and the willingness to come into contact with them.Results: The people described in the vignette were considered dangerous by 84.4% of participants for schizophrenia, 72.0% of participants for depression, and 63.1% of participants for GAD. Besides being dangerous, people with schizophrenia were perceived as unpredictable and as the least suitable for voting for as a politician or employing. Around 50% of participants believed the problems described in the vignette were due to personal weakness. Over 70% of the non-mental health professionals were not willing to have the people described in the vignette marry into their family. The participants had gained their mental health-related knowledge mainly through the media, mostly from newspapers.Conclusions: The current study found a significant stigma towards individuals with mental disorders and a desire for social distance from such people among non-mental health professionals in general hospitals in Hunan Province. Anti-stigma interventions should focus on addressing non-mental health professionals' beliefs on dangerousness and unpredictability.
Highlights
Stigma is a mark of shame or disgrace which sets an individual apart from others [1]
This study explored the stigma towards individuals with mental disorders among non-mental health professionals in six general hospitals in Hunan Province
The survey showed that beliefs about dangerousness, unpredictability, and signs of personal weakness, unwillingness to hire someone with this problem, unwillingness to elect a politician with this problem, and desire for social distance were universally highest for schizophrenia, while beliefs that the “person could get rid of the problem” or “the problem is not a real medical illness” were higher in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Summary
Stigma is a mark of shame or disgrace which sets an individual apart from others [1]. Previous studies have reported that the frequency of discrimination being experienced by individuals with mental disorders ranges from 17% to 31% in a physical health-care setting [5, 9,10,11]. Some research has reported that individuals with a history of mental disorders experience poorer health care quality for their physical health conditions [19,20,21]. The unequal treatment they experience could, in turn, increase morbidity and premature mortality [15, 22].
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