A comparison of Russian and British attitudes towards mental health problems in the community

This study examines the differences in attitudes towards mental health problems of Russian and British communities. A specially developed questionnaire containing four vignettes conforming to specific DSM-IV diagnoses of common mental disorders (obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, depression and dementia) was given to 134 subjects. Additional questions aimed to identify different attitudes towards the mentally ill, public awareness of the possible causes of these disorders and the availability of potential help. The comparisons were made in terms of national differences and demographic characteristics such as sex, age, education, marital status, children and familiarity with mental illness.

The study revealed that the British sample was significantly more tolerant than the Russian. The Russian participants were far less likely to identify dementia as a mental disorder. However, the British respondents chose medically related help significantly more than the Russians. Significant associations were observed between factors such as education and familiarity with mental illness and tolerance within the British group. Various arguments are presented for the observed differences in terms of historic, political and cultural perspectives.