ArticleWorld psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA)2017
Public attitudes towards psychiatry and psychiatric treatment at the beginning of the 21st century: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population surveys.
Article in World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 102 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
An Emoji-based Attention Bias Modification Intervention for Depressive Symptom Severity in Young Adults
The Effects of Documentary and Psychiatric Interviewing Methods on Empathy, Attitude and Implicit Association in Psychiatric Nursing Education: A Randomized Controlled Study
Who cites it
102 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 237 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024Pooled it
- Digital training for building resilience: Systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2022Pooled it
- Suicide risk and mortality among patients with cancer.Nature medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Continuum beliefs and mental illness stigma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of correlation and intervention studies.Psychological medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Recognition and beliefs about treatment for mental disorders in mainland China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2020Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Parent and Caregiver Mental Health Literacy.Community mental health journal · 2020Pooled it
- Reducing Stigma in Media Professionals: Is there Room for Improvement? Results from a Systematic Review.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2017Pooled it
- Effects of YouTube Health Videos on Mental Health Literacy in Adolescents and Teachers: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mental health · 2025Trial
- Exploring the Effect of Brief Preventive Videos on Mental Health Help-Seeking for Early Psychosis in a Young Community Sample.Early intervention in psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Model of integrated mental health video consultations for people with depression or anxiety in primary care (PROVIDE-C): assessor masked, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024Trial
- Changing attitudes towards psychotherapy via social observations: are similarities more important than discrepancies?BMC psychology · 2022Trial
- How Confidence in Prior Attitudes, Social Tag Popularity, and Source Credibility Shape Confirmation Bias Toward Antidepressants and Psychotherapy in a Representative German Sample: Randomized Controlled Web-Based Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Trial
- Psychometric properties of MERIT: A concise tool for community health workers to screen priority mental disorders.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2026Article
- Psychodermatologic Dimensions of Psoriasis: Perceived Burden, Help-Seeking Behavior and Openness to Supportive Care.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Evaluating Public Sentiment on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared With Other Mental Health Disorders From Posts on X (Formerly Known as Twitter): Longitudinal Analysis.JMIR infodemiology · 2026Article
- Adult ADHD in Cultural Ecosocial Niches: Exploring the Rise of Adult ADHD in Context.Culture, medicine and psychiatry · 2026Article
- Validation of the CONSULT-PSYCHIATR Scale: reasons for reluctance to seek psychiatric consultation among workers in Peru.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Depression in Chinese adolescents: prevalence, symptoms, risk factors, affected brain, diagnosis, and interventions.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Differentiating the potential of continuum beliefs to reduce the public stigma of schizophrenia, depression, and alcohol dependence: associations with illness recognition and treatment recommendations.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
42 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Public attitudes towards psychiatry are crucial determinants of help-seeking for mental illness. It has been argued that psychiatry as a discipline enjoys low esteem among the public, and a "crisis" of psychiatry has been noted. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of population studies examining public attitudes towards various aspects of psychiatric care. Our search in PubMed, Web of Science, PsychINFO and bibliographies yielded 162 papers based on population surveys conducted since 2000 and published no later than 2015. We found that professional help for mental disorders generally enjoys high esteem. While general practitioners are the preferred source of help for depression, mental health professionals are the most trusted helpers for schizophrenia. If respondents have to rank sources of help, they tend to favor mental health professionals, while open questions yield results more favorable to general practitioners. Psychiatrists and psychologists/psychotherapists are equally recommended for the treatment of schizophrenia, while for depression psychologists/psychotherapists are more recommended, at least in Europe and America. Psychotherapy is consistently preferred over medication. Attitudes towards seeking help from psychiatrists or psychologists/psychotherapists as well as towards medication and psychotherapy have markedly improved over the last twenty-five years. Biological concepts of mental illness are associated with stronger approval of psychiatric help, particularly medication. Self-stigma and negative attitudes towards persons with mental illness decrease the likelihood of personally considering psychiatric help. In conclusion, the public readily recommends psychiatric help for the treatment of mental disorders. Psychotherapy is the most popular method of psychiatric treatment. A useful strategy to further improve the public image of psychiatry could be to stress that listening and understanding are at the core of psychiatric care.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.