Results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2007, 2009

In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) collaborated to track state-level attitudes toward mental illness. Following recommendations from the 2002 Presidents New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, these agencies sought to examine public perceptions regarding treatment effectiveness and perceptions regarding people being caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness. This collaboration paralleled the release of a SAMHSA national anti-stigma campaign, What a Difference a Friend Makes, designed to help young adults support friends with a mental health problem. Two questions that asked about attitudes toward mental illness, along with other questions about mental illness symptoms, were included on the CDC-supported Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). These questions comprised the BRFSS Mental Illness and Stigma Module.

Attitudes were assessed by asking respondents to indicate their level of agreement with two statements. The first statement assessed attitudes toward the effectiveness of treatment: "Treatment can help people with mental illness lead normal lives." The second statement assessed the respondent's perception of public attitudes toward persons with mental illness: "People are generally caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness."

In 2007, 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico received SAMHSA support to collect data using the BRFSS Mental Illness and Stigma Module, and, in 2009, 16 states received support to do so. While a 2010 CDC study published in the MMWR(CDC, 2010) described some limited findings, the goals of this study were to expand on the previous analysis to (1) provide state-level estimates of attitudes toward mental illness by select sociodemographic factors, mental illness symptoms, and mental health treatment; (2) examine individual (e.g., age, race/ethnicity) and state-level predictors (e.g., per capita expenditures on mental health services; the average annual unemployment rate; and exposure to the What a Difference a Friend Makes campaign) on attitudes toward mental illness; (3) highlight population subgroups who strongly disagree with the statements (i.e., a vulnerable group) for each state; and (4) provide resources and strategies for targeting these groups, and combating stigma in general.

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CDC - Mental Health Report - HRQOL