Public conceptions of schizophrenia in urban Brazil : symptom identification and causal attributions

Little is known about public conceptions of mental disorders in Latin America and the Caribbean. The aim of this article is to assess how the population identifies symptoms of schizophrenia and the causes attributed to this disorder in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.

A household survey was carried out in 2002 with a probabilistic sample of 500 individuals, residents of São Paulo with ages ranging from 18 to 65. Vignette describing in colloquial language an individual with schizophrenia (according to DSM-IV and ICD-10) was presented together with a structured questionnaire with questions about the vignette.

The symptoms of schizophrenia were identified by 23.4% as depression. The term schizophrenia was used in only 2.2% of the responses. A bit more than half of the respondents believed it was a mental illness. The main causes attributed were "drug use" and "isolation". Factors most influencing responses about causes were years of schooling and identification as a mental illness.

Medical-scientific concepts are used less in São Paulo than in other countries. The main causes attributed by the public relate to psychosocial stress. Causes of biological or moral nature are considered less relevant.