« Maryland creates program to fill gaps in federal mental health treatment of veterans | Main | Research suggests one in 10 girls may engage in binge-eating, purging »
June 11, 2008
Poll suggests many Americans believe myths about schizophrenia
USA Today (6/9, 5D, Elias) reports that "[s]chizophrenia carries a lot of stigma, and many Americans believe myths about it that may lead them to steer clear of people with the disease, suggests a Harris Interactive poll to be released Tuesday."
In an "online survey includ[ing] 1,012 adults, supplemented by polling of 258 people with schizophrenia and 256 caregivers who had visited the National Alliance on Mental Illness website," the majority of respondents said that "they would want friends to tell them if they were diagnosed with schizophrenia," but fewer "than half would tell friends if they had the disease." Nearly "a third wouldn't want a schizophrenic boss who has received treatment, and half say they wouldn't date someone who had been treated for the disease."
Moreover, approximately "one in four Americans say they would feel uncomfortable around adults who have been treated for schizophrenia." But, "[o]n the positive side..., eight out of 10 Americans think adults with the illness can lead independent lives."
Related Links:
- "Schizophrenics battle stigma, myths in addition to disease," Marilyn Elias, USA Today, June 9, 2008.
Posted by admin at June 11, 2008 10:49 AM