Stigma versus Mental Health Literacy

Mental Health Stigma ∗

Comparing self-reports to administrative data records on diagnosis and prescription drug use, we find that survey respondents under-report mental health conditions 36% of the time when asked about diagnosis and about 20% of the time when asked about prescription drug use. Survey respondents are significantly less likely to under-report other conditions such as diabetes or hypertension. This beh...

Stigma in mental health care.

Received November 28, 2007; accepted December 12, 2007. Drs. Tsao, Tummala, and Roberts are affiliated with the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wis. Address correspondence to Carol I. Ping Tsao, M.D., Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Medical College of Wisconsin, 5000 W. National Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53295; [email protected] (e-mail)....

Stigma and Mental Illness: Theory Versus Reality

The stigma of mental illness—the negative attitudes toward and rejection of the mentally ill— is a topic that has received increasing attention in recent years. The President's Commission on Mental Health (1978) recommended that a task force be established to help reduce stigma, to improve public understanding of mental illness, to assist former patients in the community, and to encourage the m...

Empathy and Mental Health Literacy

Background: There is growing literature on mental health literacy (MHL), but few studies have conducted research on anything more than demographic predictors of MHL. We believe that those who are more empathic would be more interested in and more knowledgeable about mental illnesses. Objective: This study was concerned to establish whether people who were more empathic would have higher MHL. Me...

Mental Health Literacy and Stigma in Participants of a Self-help Program