Attitudes toward mental illness from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Mental Illness and Stigma Module 2007 and 2009

Introduction Lack of caring and compassion for people with mental illness can deter them from disclosing symptoms and seeking treatment for mental illness, resulting in adverse outcomes. Studying the outlook of U.S. adults by State can identify norms associated with seeking support for treatment. Methods We used the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Mental Illness Stigma module from 2007 (36 States and Washington, D.C.) and 2009 (16 states) to calculate State-specific estimates for levels of agreement regarding the belief that others are caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness. We studied how these estimates varied by, and after adjustment for, State-level indicators and individual-level sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, racial/ethnic group, education, income, and veteran status), self-reported chronic disease (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and arthritis), and mental health symptoms (frequent mental distress, serious psychological distress, and being under medical care for an emotional issue). Results Eighteen to thirty-six percent of respondents strongly agreed that people are caring and sympathetic to those with mental illness Although State-level indicators did not predict agreement levels across the States, significantly more respondents agreed in 2009 than in 2007 that people care about those with mental illness. Conclusion Despite improving trends, the relatively low percentage of U.S. adults who strongly agree that others are caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness implies negative social norms that hinder people with mental illness from seeking treatment.