Search results for ‘Author:"angermeyer matthias c."’ Sort:
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Biogenetic explanations and public acceptance of mental illness: systematic review of population studies
- Authors:
- ANGERMEYER Matthias C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 199(5), November 2011, pp.367-372.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
It is widely believed that biological or genetic models of mental illness will increase tolerance towards people with mental illness by countering perceptions of responsibility and blame. This review examined this hypothesis among the general public; whether such attributions are related to lower perceptions of guilt and responsibility, to what extent notions of responsibility are associated with rejection of people who are mentally ill, and how prevalent notions of responsibility are among the general public with regard to different mental disorders. Thirty three representative population studies examining attitudes towards people with mental illness and beliefs about such disorders were included in a systematic analysis. Generally, biogenetic causal attributions were not associated with more tolerant attitudes and they were related to stronger rejection in most studies examining schizophrenia. No published study reported on associations of biogenetic causal attributions and perceived responsibility. The stereotype of self-responsibility was unrelated to rejection in most studies. Public images of mental disorder are generally dominated by the stereotypes of unpredictability and dangerousness; responsibility was less relevant. The authors conclude that biogenetic causal models are an inappropriate means of reducing rejection of people with mental illness.
Causal beliefs and attitudes to people with schizophrenia: trend analysis based on data from two population surveys in Germany
- Authors:
- ANGERMEYER Matthias C., MATSCHINGER Herbert
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 186(4), April 2005, pp.231-234.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
It is a widely shared belief that an increase in mental health literacy will result in an improvement of attitudes towards people with mental illness. The aim was to examine how the German public’s causal attributions of schizophrenia and their desire for social distance from people with schizophrenia developed over the 1990s. A trend analysis was carried out using data from two representative population surveys conducted in the Länder constituting the former Federal Republic of Germany in 1990 and 2001. Parallel to an increase in the public’s tendency to endorse biological causes, an increase in the desire for social distance from people with schizophrenia was found. The assumption underlying current anti-stigma programmes that there is a positive relationship between endorsing biological causes and the acceptance of people with mental illness appears to be problematic.
Attitudes towards psychiatric treatment and people with mental illness: changes over two decades
- Authors:
- ANGERMEYER Matthias C., MATSCHINGER Herbert, SCHOMERUS Georg
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 203(2), 2013, pp.146-151.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Over the past decades, psychiatry, as a science and a clinical discipline, has witnessed profound changes. In 1990 and 2011, population surveys were conducted in Germany on public attitudes about schizophrenia, depression and alcohol dependence to examine whether there had been changes in the public’s conceptualisation of mental disorders. Although the public has become more inclined to endorse a biological causation of schizophrenia, the opposite trend was observed with the other two disorders. The public’s readiness to recommend help-seeking from mental health professionals and using psychotherapy and psychotropic medication has increased considerably. Attitudes towards people with schizophrenia worsened, whereas for depression and alcohol dependence no or inconsistent changes were found. The growing divide between attitudes towards schizophrenia and other mental disorders should be of particular concern to future anti-stigma campaigns. (Edited publisher abstract)
Progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia: a challenge to current thinking
- Authors:
- BUSSE Anja, ANGERMEYER Matthias C., RIEDEL-HELLER Steffi G.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 189(5), November 2006, pp.399-404.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Studies of conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia suggest a linear progression over time. Conversion rates during lifetime may extend to 80–90%. This study examines the time-dependent evolution from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. Current assumptions regarding yearly and lifetime conversion rates are challenged. A community sample of 1045 dementia-free individuals aged 75 years and over was examined by neuropsychological testing based on 6 years of observation. Approximately 60–65% of people with mild cognitive impairment develop clinical dementia during their life. Progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia appears to be time dependent, occurring primarily within the initial 18 months. Further long-term studies are needed to examine the time-dependent evolution from mild cognitive impairment to dementia and to establish age-specific conversion rates during lifetime