Mental Health Literacy about Personality Disorders: A Multicultural Study

Abstract: Mental health literacy (MHL) refers to lay people’s knowledge and beliefs about the\r\ndiagnosis and treatment of mental illness. The current study aimed at investigating MHL regarding\r\npersonality disorders (PDs) multiculturally, comparing Turkish and Italian populations. In total,\r\n262 participants responded to an online vignette identification task that required them to label the\r\nPDs of seven hypothetical subjects and rate various dimensions of their disorders. Narcissistic (25%),\r\nobsessive-compulsive (13%), and paranoid (12%) PDs were the most correctly labeled, while the\r\naverage accuracy values for other PDs were below 0.04%. Compared to Turkish participants, Italian\r\nparticipants were more accurate in labeling narcissistic PD. Additionally, of the seven PDs, narcissistic\r\nPD was associated with the most happiness and success at work. Subjects with borderline and\r\navoidant PDs were the most recognized as having psychological problems (>90%), yet their PDs were\r\namong the least correctly identified. Overall, participants from both cultures were generally successful\r\nat recognizing the presence of a mental illness, but they rarely labeled it correctly. Only limited\r\ncultural differences emerged. The present findings may inform the design of outreach programs\r\nto promote MHL regarding PDs, thereby facilitating early recognition of PDs and help-seeking\r\nbehaviors for affected individuals.