Attitudes towards People with Mental Illness in a Polarising Society (completed)

Attitudes towards people with severe mental illness have become more negative over the last 30 years, despite numerous initiatives to combat stigma. Particularly against the background of a general polarisation of public opinion, a further increase in the stigmatisation of this particularly vulnerable population group can be assumed. There is therefore an urgent need for new perspectives on the development of negative attitudes towards people with mental illness and on measures to specifically reduce their stigmatisation. Against this background, the collaborative project by Prof. Dr Georg Schomerus from Leipzig University Hospital (PI), Prof. (em.) Dr Matthias Angermeyer from the Center for Public Mental Health and Prof. Dr Eva Baumann from the Hanover Center for Health Communication is investigating public attitudes towards people with mental illness, with a particular focus on social context factors and the social function of stigmatisation. One of the aims of the project, which is funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, is to better understand the influence of social milieus, but also of media and communication on the stigmatisation of people with mental illness.

Project Duration

2018 to 2023

Publications

Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in Germany. (2025)

Spahlholz, J., Baumann, E., Speerforck, S., Sander, C., Angermeyer, M. C. & Schomerus, G. (2025). Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in Germany. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1501194. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1501194


Changes in the ability to correctly identify schizophrenia and depression: results from general population surveys in Germany over 30 years (2024)

Grohmann, E., Al-Addous, A., Sander, C., Dogan-Sander, E., Baumann, E., Angermeyer, M. C. & Schomerus, G. (2024). Changes in the ability to correctly identify schizophrenia and depression: results from general population surveys in Germany over 30 years. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-024-02660-y


Stigma and public attitudes toward euthanasia or assisted suicide for psychiatric conditions: results from a general population survey in Germany (2024)

Schomerus, G., Schindler, S., Baumann, E. & Angermeyer, M. C. (2024). Stigma and public attitudes toward euthanasia or assisted suicide for psychiatric conditions: results from a general population survey in Germany. BJPsych Open, 10(2), e44. DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2024.4


The rise in acceptance of mental health professionals: help-seeking recommendations of the German public 1990-2020 (2023)

Angermeyer, M. C., Schindler, S., Matschinger, H., Baumann, E. & Schomerus, G. (2023): The rise in acceptance of mental health professionals: help-seeking recommendations of the German public 1990-2020. In: Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences 32, e11. DOI: 10.1017/S204579602300001X


Self- and surrogate-seeking of information about mental health and illness in Germany (2023)

Freytag, A., Baumann, E., Angermeyer, M. & Schomerus, G. (2023): Self- and surrogate-seeking of information about mental health and illness in Germany. In: BMC public health 23 (1), P. 65. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-14998-0


Cognitive Frames of Depression and their Association with Accessibility to Mental Health Communication: A Cluster Analysis for Developing Stigma-Sensitive Targeting Strategies (2023)

Freytag, A., Baumann, E., Schindler, S., Angermeyer, M. & Schomerus, G. (2023). Cognitive Frames of Depression and their Association with Accessibility to Mental Health Communication: A Cluster Analysis for Developing Stigma-Sensitive Targeting Strategies. Frontiers in Communication, 8, 1308281. DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1308281


Public attitudes towards protecting the human rights of people with mental illness: a scoping review and data from a population trend study in Germany (2023)

Schomerus, G., Sander, C., Schindler, S., Baumann, E. & Angermeyer, M. (2023): Public attitudes towards protecting the human rights of people with mental illness: a scoping review and data from a population trend study in Germany. In: International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, UK) 35 (2), P. 167–179. DOI: 10.1080/09540261.2022.2087494


Changes in continuum beliefs for depression and schizophrenia in the general population 2011-2020: a widening gap (2023)

Schomerus, G., Schindler, S., Baumann, E. & Angermeyer, M. (2023): Changes in continuum beliefs for depression and schizophrenia in the general population 2011-2020: a widening gap. In: Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology 58 (1), P. 17–23. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-022-02272-4


The German population's attitude towards mental disorders (2023)

Schomerus, G., Spahlholz, J. & Speerforck, S. (2023): Die Einstellung der deutschen Bevölkerung zu psychischen Störungen. [The German population's attitude towards mental disorders]. In: Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz 66 (4), P. 416–422. DOI: 10.1007/s00103-023-03679-3


Do values and political attitudes affect help-seeking? Exploring reported help-seeking for mental health problems in a general population sample using a milieu framework (2023)

Spahlholz, J., Baumann, E., Müller-Hilmer, R., Hilmer, R., Sander, C., Schindler, S. et al. (2023): Do values and political attitudes affect help-seeking? Exploring reported help-seeking for mental health problems in a general population sample using a milieu framework. In: Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences 32, e49. DOI: 10.1017/S2045796023000641


Changes in mental illness stigma over 30 years - Improvement, persistence, or deterioration? (2022)

Schomerus, G., Schindler, S., Sander, C., Baumann, E. & Angermeyer, M. (2022): Changes in mental illness stigma over 30 years - Improvement, persistence, or deterioration? In: European psychiatry: the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists 65 (1), e78. DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.2337


Some good news for psychiatry: resource allocation preferences of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021)

Schomerus, G., Baumann, E., Sander, C., Speerforck, S. & Angermeyer, M. (2021): Some good news for psychiatry: resource allocation preferences of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. In: World psychiatry: official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) 20 (2), P. 301–302. DOI: 10.1002/wps.20875


Mental illness in media reports. Findings on representation and perception (2020)

Rosset, M., Freytag, A., Dittrich, A., Jaspersen, M. & Baumann, E. (2020). Psychische Erkrankungen in Medienberichten. Befunde zur Darstellung und Wahrnehmung. [Mental illness in media reports. Findings on representation and perception]. ComSoc Communicatio Socialis, 53(3), 324-336. DOI: 10.5771/0010-3497-2020-3-324


Social milieu: A relevant concept for a better understanding of stigma and help-seeking? (2020)

Speerforck, S. & Schomerus, G. (2020): Social milieu: A relevant concept for a better understanding of stigma and help-seeking? In: Der Nervenarzt 91 (9), S. 785–791. DOI: 10.1007/s00115-020-00927-8


Presentations

Self-inflicted and dangerous: Cognitive frames on the clinical picture of depression and their significance for individual communication interest (2022)

Freytag, A., Baumann, E., Angermeyer, M., & Schomerus, G. (2022, November). Selbst schuld und gefährlich noch dazu: Kognitive Frames zum Krankheitsbild Depression und deren Bedeutung für das individuelle Kommunikationsinteresse. Presentation at the 7th Annual Conference of the DGPuK Health Communication Specialist Group, November 16th to 18th, 2022, Bielefeld, Germany. [Auszeichnung mit Best Paper Award]


Counselling, Gossiping, or Silence – Interpersonal Communication about Mental Illnesses and its Role for Stigmatization (2020)

Freytag, A., Baumann, E., Hahm, S., Angemeyer, M. & Schomerus, G. (2020, April). Counselling, Gossiping, or Silence – Interpersonal Communication about Mental Illnesses and its Role for Stigmatization. Presentation at the Kentucky Conference on Health Communication, April 1st to 3rd, 2020, Lexington, Kentucky, US.


Stigmatization of mental health: The role of social contexts (2019)

reytag, A., Baumann, E., Hahm, S., Angemeyer, M. & Schomerus, G. (2019, November). Stigmatization of mental health: The role of social contexts. Presentation at the European Conference on Health Communication, November 13th to 15th, 2019, Zurich, Schwitzerland.


Of dangerous criminals and burned-out top managers: Public perception of media coverage on mental illness (2019)

Freytag, A., Baumann, E., Hahm, S., Angemeyer, M., & Schomerus, G. (2019, September). Of dangerous criminals and burned-out top managers: Public perception of media coverage on mental illness. Lecture at the international symposium: “Communication and Stigmatization: Theory, Research, and Applications”, September 19th to 20th, 2019, Dortmund, Germany.


 

Last modified: 2025-02-03

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