[Relatives' beliefs and attitudes towards schizophrenia: an epidemiological investigation].

Abstract

Most of the relatives of schizophrenic patients identified a mental disorder when a schizophrenia case was described, but they had insufficient information about the term schizophrenia. Labeling patients as mentally ill had a negative effect on relatives' attitudes towards schizophrenia. The results of this study underlined the need for education programs for the relatives of patients, and the demands of the relatives concerning treatment modalities with psychosocial components.