[Psychiatric problems in the print media in the past]

The author analyzed reports on the mentally sick and psychiatry in our daily newspapers in 1909, 1928 and 1960. He analyzed the number, type, terminology and general character of the informations. In 1909 and 1928 he found a large number of references; their number and subjects were not very dependent on the type of paper nor on the year of publication. Roughly one quarter of the mentioned reports was information on the heteroaggressiveness of the mentally sick which naturally evoked negative attitudes of the public. Reports evoking positive attitudes, e.g. sympathy, were very rare. From the psychopathological aspect most frequently accounts on psychoses were found. In descriptions of the symptomatology the author did not detect any attempts of professional or pseudoprofessional accounts. In 1960 no data were found. We assume that at present when there is an increased interest in the press in psychiatric problems the historical retrospective may prove useful for the under standing of some unfavourable attitudes of the public to psychiatry as well as for possible reflections on improvement of the unsatisfactory attitude of the public to the discipline of psychiatry.