THINKING OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AS “NORMAL” ILLNESS Data from a questionnaire on social stigma: a multicenter study

Prejudice and stigma about mental illness is still present in society. Patients suffer both from the disease, and from the marginalization behavior exhibited by others towards them and their families. Psychiatric professionals may also become ill and suffer for the same reason. The authors of this international multicenter study have set themselves the question of whether there may be prejudice and/or stigma among psychiatric professionals towards their suffering colleagues, among patients towards nursing staff affected by the same disease and between patients themselves. Using two standardized questionnaires which have been tested, but have not been used before they have studied 207 mental health professionals and 407 patients, of Italian, Belgian, Hungarian and Croatian nationalities. The results show that there are in fact prejudices among Mental Health Professionals about colleagues suffering from mental illness because they responded that such persons cannot treat well patients with their own pathology. However Mental Health Professionals do not demonstrate behaviors which are not frankly marginalizing or stigmatizing towards colleagues suffering from mental illness. On the other hand, among patients the prevailing view was that psychiatric professionals who suffer from mental illness, can better understand the sick, because they are also suffering. This is in analogy with the Jungian theory of the "wounded healer" in the myth of the centaur Chiron. Patients did not demonstate rejection or marginalization behavior towards other sick patients. Finally both the professionals and the patients tend to be cautious in relating to healthy persons and tend not to disclose their suffering for fear of being misjudged or marginalized

Preliminary validation of the Mental Health Test in a psychiatric sample

Abstract To assist psychiatrists and clinical psychologists to assess their patients’ psychological immune competence-based capacities and resources, depending on the mental health disorder diagnosis and the severity of the symptoms, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Mental Health Test in a psychiatric sample. The research was carried out in four Hungarian healthcare facilities using a cross-sectional design. A total of 331 patients (140 male, 188 female, and 3 who preferred not to disclose their gender) completed the Mental Health Test, six well-being and mental health measures, and the Symptom Checklist-90. Psychiatrists and clinical psychologists reported the mental disorder status of each participant. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the five-factor model to the data for the clinical version of the Mental Health Test (CFI = 0.972, RMSEA = 0.034). High internal consistency coefficients (α: 0.70–0.84; ω: 0.71–0.85) and excellent external and content validity were reported. The test is not sensitive to sociodemographic indicators but is sensitive to the correlates of well-being and to the symptoms of different types of mental disorders. Our preliminary findings suggest that the Mental Health Test is a suitable measure for assessing mental health capacities and resources in psychiatric samples

Social capital and reported discrimination among people with depression in 15 European countries

Purpose Social capital is a protective factor for mental health. People with depression are vulnerable to discrimination and its damaging impact. No previous studies have explored the link between social capital and experienced or anticipated discrimination in people with depression. This study aims to test the hypothesis that levels of self-reported discrimination in people with depression are inversely associated with social capital levels. Method A total of 434 people with major depression recruited in outpatient settings across 15 European countries participated in the study. Multivariable regression was used to analyse relationships between discrimination and interpersonal and institutional trust, social support and social network. Results Significant inverse association was found between discrimination and social capital in people with major depression. Specifically, people with higher levels of social capital were less likely to have elevated or substantially elevated levels of experienced discrimination. Conclusions Higher level of social capital may be closely associated with lower level of experienced discrimination among patients with major depression. It is important to explore these associations more deeply and to establish possible directions of causality in order to identify interventions that may promote social capital and reduce discrimination. This may permit greater integration in society and more access to important life opportunities for people with depression. Keywords: Depression, Social capital, Discrimination, Social support, Multisite stud

Thinking of psychiatric disorders as "Normal" Illness: Data from a questionnaire on social stigma: A multicenter study

Prejudice and stigma about mental illness is still present in society. Patients suffer both from the disease, and from the marginalization behavior exhibited by others towards them and their families. Psychiatric professionals may also become ill and suffer for the same reason. The authors of this international multicenter study have set themselves the question of whether there may be prejudice and/or stigma among psychiatric professionals towards their suffering colleagues, among patients towards nursing staff affected by the same disease and between patients themselves. Using two standardized questionnaires which have been tested, but have not been used before they have studied 207 mental health professionals and 407 patients, of Italian, Belgian, Hungarian and Croatian nationalities. The results show that there are in fact prejudices among Mental Health Professionals about colleagues suffering from mental illness because they responded that such persons cannot treat well patients with their own pathology. However Mental Health Professionals do not demonstrate behaviors which are not frankly marginalizing or stigmatizing towards colleagues suffering from mental illness. On the other hand, among patients the prevailing view was that psychiatric professionals who suffer from mental illness, can better understand the sick, because they are also suffering. This is in analogy with the Jungian theory of the "wounded healer" in the myth of the centaur Chiron. Patients did not demonstate rejection or marginalization behavior towards other sick patients. Finally both the professionals and the patients tend to be cautious in relating to healthy persons and tend not to disclose their suffering for fear of being misjudged or marginalized

Social capital and reported discrimination among people with depression in 15 European countries

Social capital is a protective factor for mental health. People with depression are vulnerable to discrimination and its damaging impact. No previous studies have explored the link between social capital and experienced or anticipated discrimination in people with depression. This study aims to test the hypothesis that levels of self-reported discrimination in people with depression are inversely associated with social capital levels.status: publishe