Effect of brief motivational interviewing on stigmatised attitudes towards mental illness

Abstract

AIMS AND METHOD: Stigmatised attitudes among the general public towards people with mental illness are one of the main factors delaying such people from seeking treatment, hindering their recovery and rehabilitation. Our aim was to devise a simple motivational interviewing technique to reduce stigmatised attitudes towards people with schizophrenia and substance misuse. We conducted a randomised paired-design trial of 100 adults subjected to a 10 min motivational interview to reduce their stigmatised attitudes; we used the Attitudes to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ) to measure the effect of the various procedures on stigmatised attitudes. RESULTS: A small improvement in stigma scores was observed in attitudes towards people with alcoholism but not towards those with schizophrenia. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: A brief intervention involving motivational interviewing can be used to challenge the stigma of mental disorders.