Destigmatising schizophrenia: does changing terminology reduce negative attitudes?

Abstract

Aims and MethodHealth promotion campaigns using current terminology have had limited success in reducing stigma to schizophrenia. Terminology and subgroups based on historical precedent, clinical experience and psychosocial research have been developed to provide an alternative to existing terminology, and the attitudes to schizophrenia and alternative terminology of a sample of medical students (n=241) were compared.ResultsOverall attitudes were significantly less negative with the alternatives. the students were less negative about the potential for recovery in relation to all the subgroups than for schizophrenia. Concerns about dangerousness were also less prominent with the exception of the drug-related group.Clinical ImplicationsSubgroups and alternative terminology should be further explored in programmes to destigmatise schizophrenia.