OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to compare public stigma against mental patients and mental patients' perceived stigma. METHODS: 549 members of general populations participated in the survey which included questions regarding prejudice and discrimination against mental mental patients, while 377 mental patients participated in the survey which included questions regarding perceived prejudice, experienced discrimination and a coping orientation to social stigma. RESULTS: The mental patients perceived prejudice more compared to public prejudice toward the mental patients. And they experienced discrimination less compared to public's practice of discrimination against mental patients. Also mental patients used passive-avoidance coping orientation against social stigma. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that consumer empowerment program for mental patients is just important as anti-stigma campaign.
Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Mentally Ill Persons* ; Power (Psychology) ; Prejudice ; Social Stigma

Diagnostic errors can result in tangible harm to patients. Despite our advances in medicine, the mental processes required to make a diagnosis exhibits shortcomings, causing diagnostic errors. Cognitive factors are found to be an important cause of diagnostic errors. With new understanding from psychology and social sciences, clinical medicine is now beginning to appreciate that our clinical reasoning can take the form of analytical reasoning or heuristics. Different factors like cognitive biases and affective influences can also impel unwary clinicians to make diagnostic errors. Various strategies have been proposed to reduce the effect of cognitive biases and affective influences when clinicians make diagnoses; however evidence for the efficacy of these methods is still sparse. This paper aims to introduce the reader to the cognitive aspect of diagnostic errors, in the hope that clinicians can use this knowledge to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.
Affect ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Cognition ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diagnostic Errors ; psychology ; Humans ; Physicians ; psychology ; Prejudice ; Thinking

OBJECTIVES: The review of Korean legislative system may contribute to minimize the stigma and prejudice related to mental illness. We tried to search and revise the sentences that dicriminate against the mentally ill or are incompatible to contemporary concept of psychiatry in all Korean laws. METHODS: While screening 5,626 laws which were promulgated till August 30th, 2002, we singled out the statutes including the stigma and prejudice related to mental illness in the homepage of the Ministry of Legislation. RESULTS: There were thirty-nine statutes discriminating against mental disorder. The number of statutes related to confering the certificate was 23. Nine laws stipulated to violate the right of psychiatric patients. Seven miscellaneous ones were judged for further evaluation. The most frequent terms used in legislation were 'mental illness' and 'psychosis'. 'Odd persons', 'impairment in mental function', and 'schizophrenia' followed in decreasing orders. Two delphi survey leaded to a tentative conclusion that terminology of 'psychosis' should be replaced by 'psychotic disorder with impaired reality testing'. Most of experts recommended to delete unnecessary clauses of laws to reduce misunderstanding about mentally ill. CONCLUSION: There exists the terms and expressions stipulating discrimination against mentally ill in Korean legislation. It is an urgent issue to revise the laws with experts' opinions in order to reduce prejudice and discrimination against mentally ill.
Discrimination (Psychology)* ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Mass Screening ; Mental Disorders ; Mentally Ill Persons* ; Prejudice

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the teachers' attitudes, discrimination, and causes of prejudice towards people with mental illnesses. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used and participants included 158 teachers who were recruited from four schools in S and G cities, Korea. From October to December, 2011, data on general characteristics, attitudes, discrimination and causes of prejudice towards people with mental illnesses were collected using self-administered questionnaires. SPSS/WIN 18.0 version was used for descriptive analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. RESULTS: The mean scores of teachers' attitudes towards people with mental illness were, authoritarianism, 3.24, benevolence, 2.96, social restrictiveness, 3.44 and community mental health ideology, 2.75. There were significant differences in benevolence according to age. The experience of meeting people with mental illness contributed to positive attitudes towards people with mental illness in the benevolence subscale. There were significant differences in social restrictiveness according to residence. There were significant differences in discrimination according to age. Subscales of attitudes were significantly correlated with discrimination. CONCLUSION: These results emphasize a need for continuous education not only of teachers but also of the general population.
Authoritarianism ; Beneficence ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Disorders ; Mental Health ; Prejudice ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Two successive surveys were conducted in the same rural areas. The first survey was intended to obtain an initial estimate of public familiarity with, understanding of, and attitudes toward epilepsy. The second survey was performed to assess trends in public attitudes toward epilepsy and the putative effect of campaigns on such a trend. METHODS: Cross-sectional studies were conducted by means of a door-to-door interview using the same questionnaire, in which all residents over 19 years of age, living in the survey area, were targeted. Vehicles for the educational campaign took the form of lectures and small group discussions. RESULTS: Of 820 respondents in the first survey, 93% of respondents were familiar with epilepsy. Nevertheless, only 8.5% answered they had an epileptic person among their family or relatives. The understanding of epilepsy among respondents appeared to be not only based more on supernatural or superstitious thinking, but was also less comparable to that of other studies. The attitudes toward epilepsy also were far more negative in Korean rural areas than in other countries. The false belief that epilepsy cannot be treated was the factor that contributed most to negative attitudes in Korean rural areas. Even though it was not remarkable, and was not attributed to the campaigns entirely, a positive trend was obvious not only in understanding the cause of epilepsy but also in attitudes toward epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to recognize the fact that the majority of respondents still remain unchanged in their misunderstanding of and negative attitudes toward epilepsy, regardless of the new positive trend. In order to ameliorate prejudices against epilepsy and allow epileptic persons to interact with and adapt to their surroundings properly, not only continuous and repetitive educational efforts but also the sympathy of professional and lay societies regarding epilepsy would be needed.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Education ; Epilepsy* ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do* ; Lectures ; Prejudice ; Recognition (Psychology) ; Thinking

OBJECTIVES: In Korea, the term for schizophrenia has been changed from 'split-mind disorder' to 'attunement disorder'. This study compared the stigma of, and prejudice against, people with schizophrenia, according to use of the term 'split-mind disorder' or 'attunement disorder'. METHODS: We conducted a survey of 360 college students majoring in nursing science in order to assess their prejudice regarding the danger posed by schizophrenia and discrimination regarding relationships and privileges for patients with schizophrenia using the social stigma scale and the discrimination scale for patients with mental illness, respectively. Study subjects were randomly divided into two groups, and the same scales were assigned to each group using different instructions, beginning with either 'split-mind disorder' or 'attunement disorder'. RESULTS: In multivariate analysis, scores for prejudice with regard to the danger posed by, and discrimination against, patients with schizophrenia were significantly higher in the group assigned the term split-mind disorder, compared with the term attunement disorder. Scores for discrimination with regard to relationships and privileges were significantly lower for subjects with experience to contact the mentally ill, compared to those without such experience. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that renaming split-mind disorder as attunement disorder can result in reduced prejudice and discrimination against people with schizophrenia. In addition to renaming schizophrenia, implementation of anti-stigma campaigns, including contact with schizophrenia patients, may help to reduce discrimination against them.
Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Korea ; Mentally Ill Persons ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prejudice ; Schizophrenia ; Social Stigma ; Weights and Measures

Geriatric Psychiatry has a potential to develop as a subspecialty as Child Psychiatry, for the period of old age encompasses unique developmental tasks. For the future development of Geriatric Psychiatry, a sound theory of Geriatrics is essential; a new perspective beyond biological views on aging which the health care professionals are deeply embedded. Such prejudice, old people are bound to become deteriorated physically and mentally after a long period of degenerative process, has been enhanced by biological and sociological views of discrimination and isolation. A few sociological theories on Geriatrics that have developed along with social changes are reviewed here. The Modernization Theory, Discrimination Theory, Conflict Theory, and Activity Theories are a few discussed. The current view is to see the period of old age a stage of Self Transformation when elderly people have different perception of time and become eager to rediscover themselves with a new meaning in life. They not only seek unrecognized potentials in themselves to actualize but to reach out beyond their limits, a world unknown to them. This meaning-making process and self transformation characterize old age as an important phase of life to be creative. Geriatric Psychiatry must be based on the developmental view on aging; understand elderly people who are proactive. A disorder oriented, categorical, and symptom removal practice with drugs are the stereotypes that should be minimized when it comes to the care of elderly.
Aged ; Aging ; Child ; Child Psychiatry ; Creativity* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Geriatric Psychiatry ; Geriatrics ; Humans ; Prejudice ; Social Change

PURPOSE: This study aimed to analyze the experience of female trainees who were trained in hospitals after graduating from medical school, focusing on methods of representing their gender in training courses. METHODS: We interviewed 8 trainees who had been trained in a hospital in Seoul and 4 faculties from June 2010 to October 2010. We analyzed their similarities and differences and developed a vocational identity formation process to represent gender. RESULTS: Gender was represented contradictorily in their training course, affecting their choice of specialties and interactions with patients. But, female trainees did not want to their being distinguished from their male counterparts with regard to being a good doctor to be influenced by meritocracy. It was difficult for them to bear children and balance work and family life due to aspects of the training system, including long work hours and the lack of replacement workers. Consequently, they asked their parents to help with child care, because hospitals are not interested in the maternity system. Female trainees did not consider being a doctor to be a male profession. Likely, they believed that their femininity influenced their professionalism positively. CONCLUSION: The methods of representing gender are influenced by the training system, based a male-dominated apprenticeship. Thus, we will research the mechanisms that influence gender-discriminated choices in specialties, hospitals, and medical schools and prepare a maternity care system for female trainees. Strategies that maximize recruitment and retention of women in medicine should include a consideration of alternative work schedules and optimization of maternity leave and child care opportunities.
Appointments and Schedules ; Child ; Child Care ; Female ; Femininity ; Humans ; Male ; Parental Leave ; Parents ; Physicians, Women ; Prejudice ; Retention (Psychology) ; Schools, Medical ; Ursidae

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to illuminate the life experiences of 10 Korean men with HIV. METHOD: This is qualitative research using a grounded theory methodology. RESULT: A core category-enduring under the yoke of HIV and 5 subcategories emerged: Accepting the fact of HIV infection unwillingly with shock, Conflict between the secret concealment and disclosure, Resisting social prejudice and discrimination, Change of the daily life and management of health, Remembering their past lives without HIV and reconstructing their own lives with HIV. CONCLUSION: The findings contributed to understanding the HIV/AIDS illness experiences among men with hetero and homo sexuality, and revealing the prejudice against HIV in Korean society. The results have very important implications for health care professionals working with HIV-positive men.
Delivery of Health Care ; Disclosure ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; HIV ; HIV Infections ; Hominidae ; Humans ; Life Change Events* ; Male ; Prejudice ; Qualitative Research ; Sexuality ; Shock

OBJECTIVETo understand the related knowledge, discrimination attitudes toward HIV/AIDS among medical college students, and to provide scientific evidence for further HIV/AIDS anti-discrimination intervention.

METHODSBy means of stratified cluster sampling to classes, 2844 undergraduate students were randomly selected from medical colleges. A self-designed and self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted, and SPSS 13.0 software was used for data analysis.

RESULTS2501 valid questionnaires had been collected. The overall HIV/AIDS knowledge coverage rate of the respondents was 73.1% (1828/2501); The HIV/AIDS discrimination rates in different questions were varying, the discrimination rate of infected with AIDS by bad sex and sharing needles was 83.1% (2078/2501) and 77.7% (1943/2501) respectively, the discrimination rates in term of contacting with HIV patients and their daily necessities, sharing desks, personal social were all exceeding 40%.

CONCLUSIONThe medical students held serious discrimination attitudes to HIV infected persons and patients; it is necessary to strengthen anti-discrimination education about HIV/AIDS among medical students.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Male ; Prejudice ; Students, Medical ; psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult