[Attitude to psychiatric patients. How do people look upon alcoholics, drug addicts and psychiatric patients without addictive problems?].

This study examines the public's attitudes towards the rights of alcoholics, drug addicts and psychiatric patients without addiction problems. Positive and negative statements about these patient groups were presented to 806 Norwegian employees. The public's attitudes are far more restrictive towards alcoholics and drug addicts than towards psychiatric patients without addiction problems. The attitudes towards the latter seem to to be quite tolerant, and not very different from the attitudes concerning the rights of somatic patients. While the views on alcoholics and drug addicts are stereotyped, the attitudes towards psychiatric patients without addiction problems seem to be formed more openly, not necessarily on a group basis. Attitudes of acceptance towards alcoholics and drug addicts are more prevalent among younger than among older people.