[Increased stigma through a former stay in a mental hospital? Results of a public survey in Switzerland].
OBJECTIVE
The perception of how most people stigmatize mentally ill persons has consequences for the affected. Is a former stay in a mental hospital connected with an additional stigma?


METHODS
In three linguistic areas of Switzerland we conducted a representative opinion survey (N = 1737) on public attitude towards mental illness, psychiatric treatment, and the institutions involved. Using Link's "devaluation-discrimination-scale" a randomly selected sample was asked on the telephone about the perceived stigma concerning (1) a currently mentally ill person or (2) a former mentally ill person or (3) a former mental inpatient.


RESULTS
In all three linguistic areas of Switzerland we found in the case of current illness a lower social acceptance or a higher discrimination, respectively. Also in all linguistic areas those who were asked about "former mental illness" or "former stay in a mental hospital" did not differ regarding perceived acceptance or discrimination.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data does not confirm the assumption of increased stigma because of a former stay in a mental hospital. An inquiry of subjective experience of a hospital stay, however, would probably lead to other results than that of a public survey.
Nordt
Carlos
C
Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich, Forschungsgruppe Sozialpsychiatrie, Switzerland. nordt@spd.unizh.ch
Müller
Brigitte
B
Lauber
Christoph
C
Rössler
Wulf
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011287:Prejudice; D011639:Public Opinion; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013557:Switzerland