SynthesisSocial psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology2023
Continuum beliefs of mental illness: a systematic review of measures.
Synthesis in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- A mixed-methods evaluation of a psychosocial intervention to reduce mental health stigma among university students.Discover mental health · 2026Article
- Continuous Alterations in the Gut Microbial Landscape Associated With Suicidal Ideation in First-Episode Drug-naïve Major Depressive Disorder.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Article
- Profiling Chinese children with symptoms of SpLD, ADHD, or ASD: a transdiagnostic and biopsychosocial study.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Blind spots of psychotherapists? Implicit and explicit mental illness stigma in psychotherapists, psychology students, and laypersons.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- 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
- "Putting yourself in the shoes of others" - Relatability as a novel measure to explain the difference in stigma toward depression and schizophrenia.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
- Application of Genetic Testing for Anorexia Nervosa: An Ethical Analysis.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Transdiagnostic Connectome-Based Prediction of Response Inhibition.Human brain mapping · 2025Article
- Psychometric validation of the continuum beliefs of mental illness scale (CB-MIS) and its associations with stigma.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- How pharmacology can aid in the diagnosis of mental disorders.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Review
- Identifying Risk and Protective Factors Impacting the Clinical Outcomes of Subthreshold Anxiety in Early Adolescents: Insights From the ABCD Study.Depression and anxiety · 2025Article
- Associations of continuum beliefs with personality disorder stigma: correlational and experimental evidence.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2024Article
- Article
- Inclusion of the severe and enduring anorexia nervosa phenotype in genetics research: a scoping review.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- Lived experiences matter: The role of mental health professionals' psychological crises and vulnerability in shaping their health beliefs and concepts.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeThe continuum of mental health/illness has been subject to scientific debate for decades. While current research indicates that continuum belief interventions can reduce mental health stigma and improve treatment seeking in affected populations, no study has yet systematically examined measures of continuum beliefs.
methodsThis preregistered systematic review summarizes measures of continuum beliefs. Following the PRISMA statement, three scientific databases (PubMed, PsycInfo and PsycArticles via EBSCOhost, Web of Science) are searched, instruments are described and discussed regarding their scope, and methodological quality.
resultsOverall, 7351 records were identified, with 35 studies reporting relevant findings on 11 measures. Most studies examined general population samples and used vignette-based measures. Schizophrenia and depression were most commonly examined, few studies focused on dementia, ADHD, OCD, eating disorders, and problematic alcohol use, or compared continuum beliefs across disorders. Validity was very good for most measures, but reliability was rarely tested. Measures mostly assessed beliefs in the normality of mental health symptoms or the normality of persons with such symptoms but rarely nosological aspects (i.e., categorical v continuous conceptualization of mental disorders).
conclusionsCurrent research provides psychometrically sound instruments to examine continuum beliefs for a variety of mental disorders. While studies suggest utility for general population samples and mental health professionals, more research is necessary to corroborate findings, for instance, regarding age (e.g., in adolescents), gender, or type of mental disorder. Future research should also compare self-report ratings, and vignette-based measures, include measures of nosological concepts to fully grasp the continuum concept of mental illness. PREREGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42019123606.
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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.