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Community perception of mental disorders - a systematic review of Latin American and Caribbean studies.

BACKGROUND
Little is known about the perception of mental disorders and stigma in developing countries. The aim of this study was to review the literature on popular perception of mental disorders in Latin America and the Caribbean.


METHODS
Electronic search was made on Medline and Lilacs for original articles published from January 1980 to December 2001, using "public attitudes" and "mental disorders" as key words on Medline and "attitudes about health" as well as "stigma" as key words on Lilacs. In addition, a manual search was conducted in the references of the articles obtained in the electronic search and in area periodicals.


RESULTS
The search produced 871 articles, ten of which fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Attitudes in relation to the mentally ill are predominantly positive, especially among individuals with a higher educational or socioeconomic level. Schizophrenia is the condition most often identified as mental illness and considered the most serious affliction. Depression and alcoholism are identified as mental illnesses by a smaller portion of the population. The community mostly recommends treatment with health professionals.


CONCLUSION
In Latin America and the Caribbean, there is a tendency to share the beliefs of the western medical model and few signs of the presence of elements from traditional medicine or religion. However, the studies exhibited various methodological gaps and problems. New studies, using more appropriate methodology, should be carried out in this region.