Hallucination Simulations: A Stigma-Reduction Strategy for Schizophrenia

Mental illness continues to be stigmatized by those in the general population, including diagnoses such as schizophrenia. These individuals tend to be seen as dangerous, unreliable, and are perceived to have a poor prognosis, which is correlated with a desire for social distance (Griffiths et al., 2006; Angermeyer & Matschinger, 2003; Angermeyer et al., 2003). Research literature has shown that the most effective stigma-reduction strategy to date is direct contact between individuals from the general population and those from the stigmatized group (Corrigan et al., 2012). Although effective, it is not always feasible due to a variety of constraints such as ability or willingness of individuals to engage in contact. Therefore, this study proposed an alternative option: the hallucination simulation video. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: simulated experience, written description, or a control condition. Each group was provided with a different intervention, and then all participants were asked to complete measures designed to gauge their attitudes on a variety of variables. There were no significant differences found between groups regarding levels of empathy, desire for social distance, causal attributions of the illness, or perceived dangerousness. Although the written description group endorsed higher levels of emotional discomfort, this did not seem to affect other attitudes such as empathy or desire for social distance. Potential explanations and implications are explored.