Selected respondents drawn from metropolitan Melbourne (N = 318), when asked to express their opinions and attitudes in relation to four hypothetical characters, recognized mental illness in the paranoid schizophrenic, were hesitant to acknowledge it in the simple schizophrenic and the alcoholic, and denied it almost absolutely in the anxiety neurotic. Failure to diagnose a condition as mental illness did not, however, necessarily preclude recognition that the person described was in need of psychiatric help. Certain respondent characteristics and, in particular, education were related to the opinions and attitudes expressed.
Selected respondents from metropolitan Melbourne ( N = 3 18) were required to make ratings on fifteen semantic differential scales for each of fen concepts which opposed physical medicine with psychiatric medicine, not only at the level of individual patient disability but also in terms of the facilities provided for their treatmcnt and the medical personnel directly involved in the treatment process. Cluster scores on the factors evaluation, understandability and potency consistently favoured concepts relating to physical medicine. This relationship was maintained, independent of various respondent characteristics. C XI z r
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