Public Attitudes to the Quality of Psychiatric Treatment, Psychiatric Patients, and Prevalence of Mental Disorders

Public opinion on mental disorders in Norway was investigated in September 1992 by interviewing a stratified random sample of the population (n=1063). The hypothesis was that psychiatric treatment and psychiatric patients were met with prejudice and that public opinion on these questions underestimated the prevalence of mental disorders. The study showed that the quality of psychiatric treatment was considered very low compared with the treatment of heart disease and cancer. One-third of the respondents thought there was a great difference between persons with mental disorders and ordinary people. Sixty per cent estimated the prevalence of mental disorders to be between 10% and 50%. The concern that at some time in life they might have a mental disorder was expressed by 27% of the respondents. The consequences of negative attitudes to psychiatric treatment and psychiatric patients are discussed, with regard to both outcome of individual treatment and the manner in which society gives priority to psychiatry.