title: College students' perceptions of individuals with anorexia nervosa: irritation and admiration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stigmatizing attitudes against anorexia nervosa (AN) may act as barriers to treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Evaluated college students' perceptions of AN as compared to major depressive disorder (MDD).
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred two female undergraduates read vignettes describing targets with mild or severe MDD or AN, then rated biological, vanity, and self-responsibility attributions; feelings of admiration, sympathy, and anger; and behavioral dispositions toward coercion into treatment, imitation, and social distance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AN was perceived more negatively than MDD in terms of vanity attributions, self-responsibility attributions, and feelings of anger, but more positively in terms of admiration and imitation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This research demonstrates stigma-related mixed messages received by individuals with AN, which might be useful in improving eating disorders mental health literacy.
authors: Department of Psychology, Marquette University , Milwaukee, WI , USA.
authors: Danielle M
authors: DM
authors: Geerling
authors: Stephen M
authors: SM
authors: Saunders
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012938:Social Perception; D057545:Social Stigma; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anorexia nervosa; attribution theory; stigma