Name That Disorder: Exposure to Mental Health Conditions and Their Impact on Disorder Identification
Location
CSU Ballroom
Start Date
20-4-2015 2:00 PM
End Date
20-4-2015 3:30 PM
Student's Major
Psychology
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Daniel Houlihan
Mentor's Email Address
daniel.houlihan@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Psychology
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Second Mentor's Name
Melissa Lenz
Second Mentor's Department
Psychology
Second Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
Stigma about mental health conditions decreases treatment seeking. By better understanding stigma, researchers hope to reduce this as a barrier. This study looked at individual interactions with mental health conditions and how this impacted their understanding of four specific disorders. Participants read one of five vignettes depicting an individual with depression, a manic episode, generalized anxiety disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, or weight gain. They then responded to a questionnaire about symptoms likely to be present, social distancing, and their own experiences with mental health issues. Findings showed participants were confident identifying depression at 93% accuracy. Mania and schizophrenia proved more difficult. For the paranoid schizophrenia vignette, there was not a common error; many different disorders were speculated. Additionally, participants were eager to diagnose the individual in the weight gain vignette with a psychological disorder, such as depression. For the manic episode vignette, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was more commonly suggested than mania/bipolar itself. Chi Square Test showed there was a significant difference (p<0.01) for participants having exposure to ADHD in their lives and responding with the incorrect diagnosis for mania.
Name That Disorder: Exposure to Mental Health Conditions and Their Impact on Disorder Identification
CSU Ballroom
Stigma about mental health conditions decreases treatment seeking. By better understanding stigma, researchers hope to reduce this as a barrier. This study looked at individual interactions with mental health conditions and how this impacted their understanding of four specific disorders. Participants read one of five vignettes depicting an individual with depression, a manic episode, generalized anxiety disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, or weight gain. They then responded to a questionnaire about symptoms likely to be present, social distancing, and their own experiences with mental health issues. Findings showed participants were confident identifying depression at 93% accuracy. Mania and schizophrenia proved more difficult. For the paranoid schizophrenia vignette, there was not a common error; many different disorders were speculated. Additionally, participants were eager to diagnose the individual in the weight gain vignette with a psychological disorder, such as depression. For the manic episode vignette, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was more commonly suggested than mania/bipolar itself. Chi Square Test showed there was a significant difference (p<0.01) for participants having exposure to ADHD in their lives and responding with the incorrect diagnosis for mania.
Recommended Citation
Mattick, Rachel. "Name That Disorder: Exposure to Mental Health Conditions and Their Impact on Disorder Identification." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 20, 2015.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2015/poster_session_B/38
