Editoriali/ Editorials Attitudes to psychosis: health professionals

Attitudes held by health professionals, especially those working in mental health, can profoundly influence the well-being of patients with psychosis. Thus, both health care provision and health outcomes are compromised, with resultant inequality. These attitudes are shaped by and vary according to prevailing cultural norms, in society at large, in health service organisations and within professional peer groups. Attitude studies focus on a variety of aspects including diagnosis and the choice of treatment options. Surveys and case vignette studies have been conducted on health professional groups, either individually or by comparing groups. Surveys have been used to assess attitudes but these are prone to a social desirability bias in that participants tend to answer in accordance with social norms rather than stating real attitudes. The use of case vignettes attempts to overcome this although, importantly, actual behaviour is not always concordant with stated attitudes, be they real or otherwise (Gray, 2002). This editorial highlights the key issues from the research field on attitudes held by psychiatrists, other mental health professionals, general health profes-