Department of Psychiatry, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Semmelweisstr. 10, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Department of Journalism and Communication Research, Hannover University of Music, Drama, and Media, Hannover, Germany.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2023 Jan;58(1):17-23. doi: 10.1007/s00127-022-02272-4. Epub 2022 Mar 19.
The public discourse about mental health and mental illness seems to have become more open over the last decade, giving rise to the hope that symptoms of mental illness have become more relatable. We examine whether continuum beliefs regarding schizophrenia and depression have increased on a population level over a period of 9 years, and whether notions of unfamiliarity and incomprehensibility have decreased.
In 2011 (n = 2455) and 2020 (n = 3042), two methodologically identical cross-sectional population surveys were conducted in Germany. After the presentation of an unlabeled case vignette depicting someone with schizophrenia or depression, we asked about continuum beliefs, perceived unfamiliarity and perceived incomprehensibility of the person described.
Multinomial logit models holding sociodemographic variables fixed at their means for both surveys showed that agreement with continuum beliefs increased in depression from 43 to 46% [change 4%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0; 8], but decreased in schizophrenia from 26 to 20% (change - 6%, 95% CI - 9; - 3). Unfamiliarity (change - 4%; 95% CI - 7; 0) and incomprehensibility (change - 7%, 95% CI - 10; - 4) decreased for depression, while remaining largely unchanged for schizophrenia.
An already pronounced gap in the perception of both disorders with regard to continuity of symptom experiences and perceived otherness further widened over the last decade. While the public's increasing familiarity with symptoms of depression might be further aided by using continuum beliefs as part of anti-stigma messages and awareness campaigns, promulgating continuity models for schizophrenia seems more challenging.
在过去的十年中，关于心理健康和精神疾病的公众讨论似乎变得更加开放，这让人们希望精神疾病的症状变得更加容易理解。我们研究了在 9 年的时间里，人群中对精神分裂症和抑郁症的连续体信念是否有所增加，以及不熟悉和不可理解的观念是否有所减少。
在 2011 年（n=2455）和 2020 年（n=3042），在德国进行了两次方法学上相同的横断面人群调查。在呈现一个未标记的病例描述，描述一个患有精神分裂症或抑郁症的人之后，我们询问了连续体信念、描述的人感知的不熟悉和不可理解程度。
在两个调查中，固定社会人口统计学变量在平均值的多项逻辑回归模型显示，对抑郁症的连续体信念的认同从 43%增加到 46%（变化 4%，95%置信区间[CI] 0；8），但在精神分裂症中从 26%下降到 20%（变化-6%，95%CI-9；-3）。不熟悉（变化-4%，95%CI-7；0）和不可理解（变化-7%，95%CI-10；-4）在抑郁症中减少，而在精神分裂症中基本保持不变。
在过去的十年中，公众对这两种疾病的看法在症状连续性和感知的差异性方面已经存在明显的差距，进一步扩大。虽然使用连续体信念作为反污名信息和宣传活动的一部分可能会进一步帮助公众熟悉抑郁症的症状，但推广精神分裂症的连续性模型似乎更具挑战性。
