Public perceptions of former psychiatric patients in England

[Other voices of madness in song: uses and meanings of madness in the Spanish punk subculture (1981-2010)]

The study of depictions of mental disorders in music are scarce, despite the fact that the reproduction of stigmatizing representations can interfere in the search for treatment. The scope of this article is to describe the extent and nature of the descriptions of madness in Spanish punk music (1981-2010) as a basis for comparisons with other countries and musical genres. For the content analysis, 3,653 song lyrics were reviewed looking for the words 'crazy,' 'madness,' or other related terms. A total of 174 works were identified and subsequently analyzed by two decoders. The code book contained 28 codes representing cuatro categories: uses, sense and meanings of 'madness'; main topic of the song; the word 'crazy' in set phrases; and the crazy individual. The use of madness as unpredictability or loss of control was prevalent. In set phrases, links between madness and loss of control were recurrent too. The word 'crazy' was predominant as an attribute or quality. Comparisons with previous findings in the literature suggest that the senses of madness as 'pathology,' 'loss of control,' and 'opposition to reason' were more universal. The identity contents of Spanish punk were the backcloth for the content identified, such that the theme of madness emerges as a sign of identity and a manifestation of otherness.

Mad, bad, and dangerous to know: psychiatric illness in film and theatre

Aims

To describe and discuss the portrayal of psychiatric illness in film and theatre.

Method

A review of psychiatric literature on psychiatric illness and stigma was carried out. This was combined with a review of selected films and plays. The dramatic function of mental illness, and the manner of its portrayal, were considered in a discursive manner.

Results

From Ancient Greek theatre to modern film, psychiatric illness has been used to exemplify “otherness”. This has frequently had connotations of danger and violence, either to others or to societal norms. Occasionally psychiatric illness is depicted as transformative, or an understandable reaction to an insane environment, and there is a trend towards more nuanced depictions of mental illness. However, the disproportionate association of mental illness with violence and danger is reflected in the public's perception of mental illness, and contributes to self-stigmatisation.

Conclusion

Ongoing communication between psychiatry, service users and the arts may help to challenge the stereotype of “mad, bad and dangerous to know”.

Stigma and functioning in patients with bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of self-rated stigma and functioning in patients with bipolar disorder in Latin-America.

METHODS

Two-hundred and forty-one participants with bipolar disorder were recruited from three Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia). Functional impairment was assessed with the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) and experiences with and impact of perceived stigma was evaluated using the Inventory of Stigmatizing Experiences (ISE).

RESULTS

Higher scores of self-perceived stigma were correlated with lower scores of functioning. After multiple regression analysis, being on disability benefit, current mood symptoms and functioning were associated with self-perceived stigma.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to demonstrate an association between stigma and poor functioning in bipolar disorder. Possible implications of such findings for practitioners are discussed.

LIMITATIONS

The main limitation of this study is that the Inventory of Stigmatizing Experiences has not yet been validated in a population of bipolar patients in our countries. The sample size and heterogeneous clinical subjects from different countries and cultures limit the generalization of the present findings.

An overview of risk in community mental health care

Management of risk in mental health nursing is a complex practice and policy issue, and has an impact on mental health policy, the law and service response. The knowledge base and awareness of all those working in situations of potential risk need to be improved, and training has a crucial role to play in developing practitioners' knowledge and skills base. How the concept of risk relates to mental health is the subject of research and evaluation, which will help develop tools to facilitate prediction and assessment. This article provides an overview of the different views of risk in community mental health services, and comments on the relevance of the legal, social, cultural and psychological aspects of risk to practitioners and users.

Attitude towards psychiatric patients: a pilot study in a northern Italian town

The stigmatisation of the psychiatric patient is still a strong barrier to the integration process of these subjects in our society. Therefore, it is necessary to identify what types of prejudices exist and the types of variables with which they are linked, in order to plan strategies to reduce them. In this exploratory study we administered a semi-structured interview to 303 subjects in order to examine the relationships between social attitudes towards mental disorders and some social demographic variables, the information about mental disorders and the previous 'contacts' with psychiatric patients. The data analysis shows that there is a relationship between knowledge of psychiatric patients and a more positive attitude towards them (i.e., less fear, more integration and work opportunities). This study is to be considered preliminary as far as people's attitudes towards psychiatric patients are concerned. This result encourages the planning and implementation of sensitisation and information programs concerning mental disorders, in the sense that increasing the knowledge of mental disorders could lead to significant achievements in the important fight against the stigma surrounding psychiatric patients.

A cross-cultural comparison of British and Japanese lay theories of schizophrenia

Nearly 300 matched British and Japanese participants completed an equivalent three-part questionnaire in their native language. The questionnaire covered general beliefs or conceptions about schizophrenia, causal explanations for the aetiology of schizophrenia, as well as the role of hospitals in particular, and society in general, in helping schizophrenics recover from their illness. It was predicted that the Japanese, who have more taboos about mental illness than the British, would see schizophrenics as more difficult, dangerous and "morally insane". Factor analysis of each of the three parts of the questionnaire yielded a clearly interpretable structure. The British were more concerned with the rights of schizophrenics and believed them to be less dangerous and abnormal than did the Japanese. The Japanese favoured sociological (stress) explanations more than the British for the cause of schizophrenia. Whereas the Japanese saw micro- and macro-society change as the best way to help schizophrenics, the British stressed individual care and consideration as more relevant.