Mental Health Literacy in Three Cities of China:A Survey Study / 中国心理卫生杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To assess mental health literacy of urban porpulation and its related factors.Method:Subjects were sampled from 3 cities in the east(Wuxi),central(Changsha)and west(Xi'an)part of China.Subjects were asked to answer a questionnaire which included 5 vignettes of mental disorders and related questions.Results:54.1% of 7309 participants correctly recognized the cases of mania,but only 11.2% correctly recognized the cases of schizophrenia with negative symptoms.The average rate of correct recognition for all 5 vignettes was 41.7%.Participants with higher education level recognized the vignettes more correctly.Ill-character,stress and the pressure from work were reported to be the 3 main reasons of mental disorders.There were strong negative attitudes toward psychiatric patients,especially those with schizophrenia and mania.Conclusion:While the rate of correct recognition of mental disorders is acceptable when compared with similar studies in other parts of the world,negative attitude toward patients with mental disorder is still prevalent in China.