Social attitude towards mentally ill in comparison to experts' opinions.

Background: In modern psychiatry, deinstitutionalization of mentally ill became an essential part of improving state of being of those affected. Integration in community, despite obvious benefits, led to increase in social distance and rejection towards mentally ill. Social stigma affects different life domains of those afflicted, and therefore it is crucial to introduce methods to deal with it. Our objective was to assess and compare psychiatrists' and public attitudes and beliefs about mentally ill people. Materials and methods: Comparison of two samples, one including 107 psychiatrists and second including 708 individuals of the general population. Obtained outcomes were collated with similar studies available in literature. Outcomes: The psychiatrists' attitude was more positive in comparison to the general population. Both groups agree that programs raising public awareness are important, and should be intensified. 41% of general population and 13% of respondents from experts' group think of negative associations with mentally ill. Conclusions: Conception of utilizing mental health experts as the opinion leaders should be carefully thought through. Although awareness of social distance and stigma improved both among psychiatrists and general population since 2005 (Wciorka & Wciorka 2006, Lauber 2004), still there are areas that needs enhancement. Fear present in both groups, probably caused by inter allia image of mental illness in news reports (Angermeyer 2001), is one of such areas.