The attitude of society towards people with mental disorders and psychiatric care

Abstract

Background: Globalization, digitalization and other processes of transformation of society have significantly transformed the patterns of people's daily lives. High technologies have simplified many socio-economic processes and at the same time complicated the structure and content of social relations, significantly accelerating the pace and dynamics of social processes, which could not but affect the mental and physical health of people. 9 out of 10 Russians (90 %) face stress at different intervals, as a result, studying the attitude of citizens to mental disorders and their willingness to seek qualified psychiatric help becomes an urgent task. The purpose of the work is to identify the attitude of citizens towards mental disorders, psychiatrists and psychiatry, as well as their readiness to seek qualified psychiatric help in the event of mental health disorders. Materials and methods: This article presents the results of a qualitative study using a focus group discussion by 30 people aged 18 to 65 years: from 18 to 35 years, 36–59 years and 60 years and older. Results and conclusions: The main reason for the negative attitude of society towards mental disorders, psychiatrists and psychiatry is the low level of trust in the doctor, which results in partial or even complete failure by patients to fulfill medical appointments. The study made it possible to identify the social and psychological attitudes of representatives of all age groups, to come to a single agreed opinion regarding the negative attitude of society towards mental disorders and low willingness to seek qualified psychiatric help in the event of mental health disorders.