Attitudes towards mental illness in the Athens area: implications for community mental health intervention

Attitudes towards mental illness were measured in a probability sample of 1574 male and female adults, residents of two boroughs in the greater Athens area before the development of community mental health services in the area. The objective of this study was to identify the components of these attitudes, taking into account the fact that public opinions about mental illness influence the utilization of community mental health services and the level of reintegration of the mentally disabled into society. The instrument used to measure attitudinal dimensions was the Cohen and Struening Opinion about Mental Illness (O.M.I.) scale. Factor analysis revealed five attitude dimensions: social discrimination, social restriction, social care, integration, and etiology. Among the socio-demographic variables age, education, occupational status and place of residence up to 18 years of age affected the factors mainly, reflecting social discrimination and restriction. O.M.I. factor scores underlying the need for social care and reintegration of the mentally ill into society were found to be socially invariant, implying the need for social care and more humane treatment methods for mental patients. Certain population groups responded with rejection or suspicion and considerable fear of the mentally ill, indicating the necessity for the planning of appropriate community mental health intervention programs parallel to the development of community mental health services and psychiatric reforms in Greece.