OBJECTIVE. To assess the effect of a difference in nomenclature for psychiatric illness on perceptions of university students.

DESIGN. Cross-sectional study.

SETTING. Three local universities in Hong Kong.

PARTICIPANTS. A total of 201 university students (undergraduates or postgraduates) were interviewed with a questionnaire.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Score difference between the new and old nomenclature of each disease for each question of the questionnaire, using a 5-point Likert scale and an integrated score difference for each disease.

RESULTS. Of the seven diseases investigated, six yielded a significant yet mild increase in positive perceptions with the new nomenclature. These diseases included schizophrenia (integrated score difference: +0.158, P<0.001), neurasthenia (integrated score difference: +0.117, P<0.001), paranoia (integrated score difference: +0.209, P<0.001), personality disorder (integrated score difference: +0.282, P<0.001), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (integrated score difference: +0.086, P=0.005), and bipolar disorder (integrated score difference: +0.154, P<0.001). Epilepsy showed a negative perception with its new nomenclature (integrated score difference: -0.119, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS. The new nomenclature system for psychiatric diseases achieves more positive perceptions among the university students than the old nomenclature. Epilepsy was the exception for which the old nomenclature conferred a more positive perception. Further studies on this topic involving a more general population should be advocated to confirm the improvements in perception with the new naming system for psychiatric diseases.

Key words: Hong Kong; Psychotic disorders; Stereotyping; Terminology as topic; Translating

View this abstract indexed in MEDLINE: