Public, health professional and legislator perspectives on the concept of psychiatric disease: a population-based survey.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess which mental health-related states of being are perceived as diseases by psychiatrists, non-psychiatric physicians, nurses, parliament members and laypeople.

Design and setting

A population-based, mailed survey in Finland.

Participants

Respondents from a random sample of 3000 laypeople, 1500 physicians, 1500 nurses and all 200 members of the parliament (MPs) of Finland.

Primary outcome measures

Respondents' perspectives on 20 mental health-related states of being as diseases, measuring the extent of agreement with the claim: '[This state of being] is a disease'.

Results

Of the 6200 people approached, we received 3259 eligible responses (53%). Two conditions (schizophrenia and autism) were considered to be diseases by at least 75% and

SUBMITTER: Tikkinen KAO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6561450 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature