The general public believe in social and psychological intervention in the treatment of psychiatric patients (10/05/05)

People with mental disorders can be treated in many ways, both through medication with different types of drugs and with various forms of therapies or other forms of help. Not only the patients and the professionals that give them treatment and help, but also the general public, may have different views on which type of help and treatment is most beneficial. An Australian study recently analyzed the public’s beliefs and opinions about treatment of psychiatric conditions like depressions and schizophrenia.

Almost 4000 Australian adults were included in the national survey. The participants were presented with descriptions of one of four conditions: depression, depression with suicidal thoughts, schizophrenia at an early stage and chronic schizophrenia. The participants were asked about the likely helpfulness or harmfulness of a number of help and treatment forms for the patients in the described cases.

The help and treatment methods that the participants in the survey suggested included various lifestyle interventions, psychological therapies and medication forms, which has also been found in previous, similar surveys. Although, one new observation that has not been found in earlier researcher was also made, namely that people today also believe information seeking is also an important factor when helping and treating of psychiatric patients. This may include searching and obtaining information or advice from a variety of sources, such as the internet, books and health educators. The results from the survey also show that people form different socioeconomic groups often also have different ideas on how a mental disorder should be treated. How well each participant understood the condition descriptions also influenced their answers in the survey.

The general conclusion from the current study is that the general public tends to favor psychological and lifestyle interventions over medical treatment. These opinions do not reflect the participant’s knowledge about the scientifically proven effectiveness of each particular help or treatment form. The study rather show that people appear to prefer general treatment types instead of treatments designed for each specific type of mental condition, like certain specific drugs or combinations of drugs.

Jorm AF, Mackinnon A, Christensen H, Griffiths KM. Structure of beliefs about the helpfulness of interventions for depression and schizophrenia Results from a national survey of the Australian public. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2005 Oct 18; [Epub ahead of print]
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