Lay beliefs about causes of depression

Christoph Lauber · Luis Falcato · Carlos Nordt · Wulf Rössler A

81 citations0/0 files storedActa Psychiatrica Scandinavica

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Mental Health Treatment and Access Psychology and Mental Health Psychological Treatments and Disorders

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Assessing lay beliefs about causes of depressive behaviour and analysing the influence of labelling and demographic factors on causal attributions. METHOD: In Switzerland we conducted a representative telephone survey with 873 interviewees. A vignette depicting a man with depression satisfying the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-III-R criteria was presented. Content analysis of up to three answers about assumed causes was conducted. RESULTS: For more than half the respondents (56.6%) difficulties within the family or the partnership are causal for depression. Occupational stress is the second most-mentioned cause (32.7%), whereas unspecified further stress is in third place (19.9%). Traumatic events (17.9%), depressive disorder (14.1%) and further unspecified illnesses (11.6%) follow. Few correlations were found between causal attributions, labelling and demographic factors. CONCLUSION: The respective causal attributions are mainly independent of demographic factors, thus generalizable for the population. The attributions are shaped primarily by psychosocial ideas about aetiology. Nevertheless, one-third of the interviewees holds biological or disease-related beliefs about causes of depression. The respective illness models cannot be neglected in the therapeutic relationship.

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References

1994Lifetime and 12-Month Prevalence of DSM-III-R Psychiatric Disorders in the United States 1974Public Attitudes Toward Mental Illness: A Review of the Literature 1997Public beliefs about causes and risk factors for depression and schizophrenia 2001Lay recommendations on how to treat mental disorders 1994Lay beliefs about schizophrenic disorder: the results of a population survey in Germany 1999Lay beliefs about mental disorders: a comparison between the western and the eastern parts of Germany

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