Dangerousness, unpredictability and the fear of people with schizophrenia

Abstract

People with a mental illness are typically perceived as being dangerous, unpredictable and different. We sought to explore these perceptions and their correlates in relation to people with schizophrenia. We found that the general public, psychology undergraduates and nursing students all believed people with schizophrenia are very different from themselves and highly unpredictable. Although a significant minority of the general public also believed them to be liable to commit violent and sexual offences against the person, on average they were not rated as dangerous. Beliefs about offending, unpredictability and differentness were associated with rejecting and fearful attitudes. Improved knowledge of schizophrenia and some forms of contact with mental health problems were associated with less stereotypical perceptions. Reliance on fictional television as a source of information about schizophrenia was associated with higher ratings of unpredictability. The results are discussed both in terms of improving the acceptance of people with schizophrenia and in relation to the methodological issues they raise for the study of attitudes to people with a mental illness.