[Beliefs about psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia and depression: a comparative study in a sample of secondary school students].

Aims: Description of students' opinions about schizophrenia and depression.

Methods: The study was carried out on a sample of 445 secondary school students, randomly allocated to a "schizophrenia" or a "depression" group (N = 221 and N = 224, respectively). Each respondent was asked to read a case-vignette describing a case of schizophrenia or depression, and then to fill the Questionnaire on the Opinions about Mental Illness--General Population's version (QO-GP).

Results: 35% of students in "schizophrenia" group vs. 85% in "depression" group attributed a correct diagnosis to case-vignette. 19% of students in the "schizophrenia" group vs. 39% in the "depression" group believed that these mental disorders can recover. Affective and civil rights were more frequently acknowledged to patients with depression than to those with schizophrenia. In both groups, the majority of students stated that mentally ill patients were unpredictable and socially dangerous. Students who reported TV stories on people with mentally ill were more frequently convinced on their unpredictability and social dangerousness.

Conclusions: These results outline the need to: a) plan educational campaigns for students on mental disorders; b) alert media professionals on the impact that the way they present crimes committed by mentally ill patients may have on general population.