I am attempting to find information about changes in attitudes or ideas about psychology or psychopathology over the years. I am doing research in geriatric psychology and I would like to investigate the effect of these changes in attitudes on reporting history of psychological problems (i.e. history of depression or depressive symptoms). Because history of symptoms is so important in assessment and treatment considerations, understanding how older adults view or used to view psychological difficulties is imperative. I appreciate any suggestions as to where to find information on this subject.

-- Jay Brinker (jbrinker@uwo.ca), April 03, 2003

Answers

You might check previous postings for information on the history of mentall illness in general. I suspect a solid search of PsycInfo will turn up lots of resources on attitudes toward mental illness in the elderly--if you experiment with various combinations of search terms. You may also find some information by checking the website of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill http://www.nami.org/ which does a lot of public education directed towards changing attitudes about mental illness.

-- Hendrika Vande Kemp (hendrika@earthlink.net), April 03, 2003.