DOES COMMUNITY-BASED CARE HAVE AN EFFECT ON PUBLIC-ATTITUDES TOWARD THE MENTALLY-ILL

In this cross-sectional study we have investigated the attitudes and f eelings toward the mentally iii among the residents of two Central Eur opean regions which are at considerably different stages of developmen t in moving toward community-based care, to see if we could connect di ffering patterns of attitudes in the two regions to the varying levels of development of psychiatric care. By using the telephone survey met hod, representative samples of interviewees were presented with two co mplexes of questions, measuring the social distance of the interviewee to the mentally ill and his/her feelings toward the mentally ill. Soc ial rejection and feelings of the people toward the mentally ill in bo th regions were similar in the direction they took, however not so muc h in the intensity. The population of the community care area showed a slightly stronger rejection. But factor analysis clearly suggests a m ore rational and sophisticated position toward the patients in this po pulation. The people living in the custodially-oriented catchment area , on the other hand, showed a more vague pattern in their attitudes.