A multicenter Italian study of patients' relatives' beliefs about schizophrenia

This study explored patients' relatives' beliefs about schizophrenia in Ita ly, a country with a long history of community-based psychiatry. The study was conducted among 709 key relatives of patients with schizophrenia who we re recruited in 30 mental health departments. Relatives seemed to believe t hat mental hospitals are not appropriate places in which to treat their lov ed ones, even though most of them felt that they were alone in coping with the burden of their ill relative's disease. Most of the relatives agreed th at people who have schizophrenia should be allowed to vote, but they appear ed to have a stricter attitude toward affective rights, such as the patient 's right to get married and have children, and tended to perceive their lov ed ones as being subject to social discrimination. The findings of this stu dy may be useful for developing psychoeducational intervention and sensitiz ation campaigns for the general population.