Associations between renaming schizophrenia and stigma‐related outcomes: A systematic review

Abstract

Renaming schizophrenia is a potential strategy to reduce the stigma attached to people with schizophrenia. However, the overall associations between renaming schizophrenia and stigma-related outcomes have not been fully elucidated. We conducted a systematic review of studies that empirically examined the outcomes between new or alternative terms and old or existing terms for schizophrenia. We searched for relevant articles in eight bibliographic databases, conducted a Google search, examined reference lists, and contacted relevant experts. We found a total of 2601 reference records, and 23 articles were included in this review. Overall, in countries where schizophrenia has been renamed, the name changes may be associated with improvements in adults' attitudes toward people with schizophrenia, and with increased diagnosis announcement. However, studies conducted in countries where schizophrenia has not been renamed report inconsistent findings. In addition, renaming may not influence portrayals of schizophrenia in the media. Most studies included in our review had a risk of bias in their methodology, and we employed a vote-counting method to synthesize study results; therefore, the impacts of renaming are still inconclusive. Future studies are needed to address the following issues: use of univariate descriptive statistics, adjustment for confounding variables, use of reliable measures, and employing a question that addresses the image of split or multiple personalities. Evidence is limited regarding the associations between renaming and stigma experienced by both people with schizophrenia and their families (e.g., perceived stigma, self-stigma, discrimination experience, and burden). Further research in these populations is needed to confirm the effects of renaming schizophrenia.

What's in a name? Renaming ‘NAFLD’ to ‘MAFLD’

“…For example, in 2002 in multiple East Asian countries including Korea and Japan, schizophrenia has been revised from ‘split‐mind disorder’ (the translation of ‘schizophrenia’) to ‘attunement disorder’ as the original term was linked to high social stigma 5 . Notably, subsequent studies and a systematic review have demonstrated that in countries where schizophrenia has been renamed, it was accompanied by significant reductions in stigma, more accurate knowledge about disease, and improvements in attitudes towards patients 69 . Furthermore, in a study that included 150 mental health practitioners reasons for not informing patients and guardians about a schizophrenia diagnosis in 38% was that the name had a negative meaning 52 .…”

Renaming schizophrenia alone has not altered negative wording in newspaper articles: A text‐mining finding in Taiwan

“…On 1 May 2014, the Taiwanese Society of Psychiatry joined the boom and changed the Mandarin translation of schizophrenia to 思覺失調症 , Si‐Jue‐Shi‐Tiao‐Zheng [dysregulation of thought and perception]. The new name describes the nature of schizophrenia more precisely and may promote better understanding by the public but there has been no related study in the 5 years since the renaming. We aimed to investigate the impact of renaming schizophrenia on the titles and contents of news reports by text analysis.…”

“…Yamaguchi et al . show that the name change may have an effect on multiple generations because the public might think that the old and new names indicate different conditions, thus reducing the stigma. Our study is limited by smaller samples, a shorter follow‐up period, and it only covered articles in the two largest newspapers; however, it shows that more direct communication with mass media workers might be needed in addition to the renaming of schizophrenia.…”

The debate about renaming schizophrenia: a new name would not resolve the stigma

“…There are very few studies that address patients and family members, those who are affected the most by stigma and discrimination. A systematic review by Yamaguchi et al (2017) found only one study that addressed attitudes of family members of schizophrenia patients. According to the authors, this study by Nishimura et al (2005) showed that the name change results in a less severe image of symptoms and less negative attitudes.…”