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Effects of Renaming Schizophrenia in Korea: from "Split-Mind Disorder" to "Attunement Disorder"
Jang Won Cho1, Eun-Young Jang2, Hyung-Jin Woo3
1Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Objective:
Korean Neuropsychiatric Association changed the Korean name of schizophrenia from 'Split-mind Disorder' to 'Attunement Disorder' in 2012. This study assessed attitudes towards the renaming of schizophrenia among mental health practitioners (n=440), patients with schizophrenia and their guardians (n=396), and the university students (n=140) using self-administered questionnaires.
Methods:
The questionnaire included items related to participants' perception of the renaming of the disease, the nature of informing about the disease to confirm the effect of the name change.
Results:
It was confirmed the notification rate of disease name by mental health practitioners was increased significantly after the renaming. Among patients and their guardians, 24.9% and 15.0%, respectively, perceived their own or the family member's illness as 'attunement disorder'.
Conclusion:
Patients and their guardians continue to display a low awareness about the name of the disease as 'attunement disorder.' However, mental health practitioners were found to be able to easily use the name 'attunement disorder' as a result of the increased notification rate of the new disease name.