Evaluation of perceptions and knowledge of mental illness in the United States through crowdsourcing

Abstract

Introduction:Crowdsourcing is a method of data collection with possible benefits in assessing perceptions of mental illness in a large US population.Methods:The objective was to describe perceptions and trends of stigma surrounding mental illness in the United States using crowdsourcing. An online survey was conducted evaluating adults in the United States recruited via the online resource Amazon Mechanical Turk. Questions evaluated demographics and perceptions of mental illness. Survey data were adjusted for demographic variables and compared via logistic regression.Results:Respondents (n = 1422) were predominately 18 to 30 years of age (n = 743; 52.3%) and white (n = 1101; 77.4%). Over half reported an individual close to them had mental illness (n = 932; 65.5%), and more than one quarter (n = 397; 27.9%) reported having a current or previous mental illness. Non-whites were less likely to agree that: medications are effective (odds ratio [OR] 0.63); they would be comfortable around a coworker with mental illness (OR 0.66); and mental illness is inheritable (OR 0.74). They are also more likely to agree that mental illness is preventable (OR 1.49). Individuals reporting mental illness were more likely to agree that medications (OR 1.34; 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.74) and talk therapy (OR 1.46; 95% confidence interval 1.12 to 1.90) are effective. Those reporting some or no college were more likely to agree that the United States has good access to mental health treatment.Discussion:Crowdsourcing may be an effective way to obtain information regarding demographics, stigma, and mental illness. Personal experiences with mental illness, ethnicity, and educational level appear to continue to impact perceptions of mental illness.

Pharmacy and nursing students' stigma and perceptions toward individuals with mental illness impacted through interaction with a website featuring lived experiences

“…Therefore, their perception of mental illness may have been more realistic than those of the general population. This aligns with the original study results from which the perception questions were generated, as education level affected an individual's perception and stigma related to mental illness 27 . However, the two questions that did show a statistically significant change in the current study reflect more on the individual's reaction to mental illness than factual information that can be found in health care professional coursework, such as the effectiveness of treatment.…”

“…This aligns with the original study results from which the perception questions were generated, as education level affected an individual's perception and stigma related to mental illness. 27 However, the two questions that did show a statistically significant change in the current study reflect more on the individual's reaction to mental illness than factual information that can be found in health care professional coursework, such as the effectiveness of treatment. This aligns with the changes in SDS scores because although very few statistically significant differences were observed from participants' perceptions, the SDS uncovered social biases toward the given population.…”

“…The 16 perception questions were developed from previously published work by Palmer and colleagues to evaluate perceptions toward mental illness (Table 2). 27 These questions were chosen because of the wide variety of questions deemed appropriate to provide perceptual context to the quantitative SDS responses. These questions used a 5‐point Likert scale with 1 = Strongly agree to 5 = Strongly disagree.…”

“…The SDS utilizes a 5-point Likert scale with 2). 27 These questions were chosen because of the wide variety of questions deemed appropriate to T A B L E 1 Nursing and pharmacy student responses to social distance scale questions based on vignette.…”

Crowdsourcing to design a marketing package to promote a WHO digital mental health intervention among Chinese young adults

“…This contrasts with traditional top-down methods of expert or designer-led promotional campaigns. Crowdsourcing as a strategy has additionally been used to obtain information to expand knowledge on the public's mental strengths and symptoms, as well as on public perceptions about mental health topics ( Palmer et al, 2018 ; Krieke et al, 2016 ). To our knowledge, it has not been used to increase uptake of mental health interventions and this study is the first health communication designathon event for mental health promotion globally.…”