Public attitudes to schizophrenia in rural Turkey.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to determine the public's attitudes and their correlates towards patients with schizophrenia in rural areas.


METHODS
The study was carried out in a village near Manisa City, Turkey. Two hundred and eight subjects completed the public survey form which consists of ten items screening demographic and health status and 32 items rating attitudes towards schizophrenia.


RESULTS
Half of the subjects stated that persons with schizophrenia are aggressive and that they should not be free in the community. More than half of the subjects stated that they would be irritated about having a neighbour with schizophrenia (61.5%), that they would not rent their home to a person with schizophrenia (58.2%), that they do not want to work with a person with schizophrenia (61.1%), and that they would not get married to a person with schizophrenia (85.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
The public in rural areas sufficiently recognises schizophrenia but has a tendency to stigmatise schizophrenic patients. Their attitudes are generally negative and rejective. They do not want close contact with schizophrenic patients. Interpretation of schizophrenia as a mental illness leads to more negative attitudes and increases the social distance.
Taskin
E Oryal
EO
Celal Bayar University Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Manisa, Turkey.
Sen
Firdevs Seyfe
FS
Aydemir
Omer
O
Demet
Mehmet Murat
MM
Ozmen
Erol
E
Icelli
Ilkin
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D012424:Rural Population; D012559:Schizophrenia; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey