Structure of beliefs about the helpfulness of interventions for depression and schizophrenia: Results from a national survey of the Australian public

Abstract

Background: The public tends to have different views from professionals about the treatment of mental disorders. It has been proposed that these differences do not simply reflect a lack of knowledge about treatments, but also the operation of pre-existing general belief systems about health interventions. The present study uses factor analysis to examine the structure of public beliefs about interventions for depression and schizophrenia, using case vignettes that vary in severity or stage of illness. Methods: In a national survey of 3,998 Australian adults, respondents were presented with one of four vignettes: depression, depression with suicidal thoughts, early schizophrenia and chronic s..