Attitudes towards people with mental disorders in a general population in Finland

Väitöskirja, liitteenä alkuperäisartikkelit (ei verkkoversiossa

Temperamentti ja persoonallisuushäiriöt masennuksen muovaajina

Persoonallisuus on yksilön psyykkisistä ja fyysisistä tekijöistä rakentuva dynaaminen järjestelmä, joka selittää yksilön ainutlaatuisia tapoja sopeutua ympäristöönsä. Persoonallisuutta voidaan tarkastella sekä ulottuvuuksien että kehityksellisten teorioiden avulla. Temperamentilla tarkoitetaan ihmisen synnynnäistä, biologisesti ja geneettisesti määräytyvää psyyken perusrakennetta, josta kehittyy vuorovaikutuksen kautta yksilöllinen persoonallisuus. Temperamentin yhteys masennukseen ilmenee erityisesti korostuneen vaikeuksien välttämispiirteen muodossa. Persoonallisuushäiriöt johtavat poikkeaviin tapoihin tehdä havaintoja itsestä ja muista ihmisistä, säädellä tunteita ja tulla toimeen muiden ihmisten kanssa. Persoonallisuushäiriö huonontaa merkittävästi masennuksen ennustetta siten, että toipuminen masennuksesta on hitaampaa ja uudelleen sairastuminen on todennäköisempää kuin jos kyse olisi pelkästä masennuksesta. Aikuisiän temperamenttipiirteet, persoonallisuus ja persoonallisuushäiriöt ovat yhteydessä masennukseen

Kohti pohjalaista hyvinvointia: mielenterveyttä koskeva kyselytutkimus 2008 : Menetelmäraportti

Pohjanmaa- ja Pohjalaiset masennustalkoot -hankkeiden arviointitutkimukseen sisältyvä mielenterveyttä koskeva väestökyselytutkimu

Suicide methods in Europe: a gender-specific analysis of countries participating in the "European Alliance Against Depression"

Objective: To identify the most frequent gener-specific suicide methods in Europe. Design: Proportions of seven predominant suicide methods utilised in 16 countries participating in the European Alliance Against Depression (EAAD)were reported in total and cross-nationally. Relative risk (RR)relating to suicide methods and gender was calculated. To group countries by pattern of suicide methods, hierarchical clustering was applied. Setting and participants: Data on suicide methods for 119 122 male and 41 338 female cases in 2000-4/5 from 16 EAAD countries, covering 52% of European population were obtained. Results: Hanging was the most prevalent suicide method among both males (54.3%) and females (35.6%). For males, hanging was followed by firearms (9.7%) and poisoning by drugs (8.6%); for females, by poisoning by drugs (24.7%)and jumping from a high place (14.5%). Only in Switzerland did hanging rank as second for males after firearms. Hanging ranked first among females in eight countries, poisoning by drugs in five and jumping from a high place in three. In all countries, males had a higher risk than females of using firearms and hanging and a lower risk of poisoning by drugs, drowning and jumping. Grouping showed that countries might be divided into five main groups among males; for females, grouping did not yield clear results. Conclusions: Research on suicide methods could lead to the development of gender-specific intervention strategies. Nevertheless, other approaches, such as better identification and treatment of mental disorders and the improvement of toxicological aid should be put in place

Western Finland Mental Health Survey 2011 : Survey methods

Pohjanmaa- ja Pohjalaiset masennustalkoot -hankkee

Personal stigma and use of mental health services among people with depression in a general population in Finland

Background - A minority of people suffering from depression seek professional help for themselves. Stigmatizing attitudes are assumed to be one of the major barriers to help seeking but there is only limited evidence of this in large general population data sets. The aim of this study was to analyze the associations between mental health attitude statements and depression and their links to actual use of mental health services among those with depression. Methods - We used a large cross-sectional data set from a Finnish population survey (N = 5160). Attitudes were measured by scales which measured the belief that people with depression are responsible for their illness and their recovery and attitudes towards antidepressants. Desire for social distance was measured by a scale and depression with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form (CIDI-SF) instrument. Use of mental health services was measured by self-report. Results - On the social discrimination scale, people with depression showed more social tolerance towards people with mental problems. They also carried more positive views about antidepressants. Among those with depression, users of mental health services, as compared to non-users, carried less desire for social distance to people with mental health problems and more positive views about the effects of antidepressants. More severe depression predicted more active use of services. Conclusions - Although stronger discriminative intentions can reduce the use of mental health services, this does not necessarily prevent professional service use if depression is serious and views about antidepressant medication are realistic.peerReviewe