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Effects of biological explanations for mental disorders on clinicians' empathy.

ABSTRACT: Mental disorders are increasingly understood in terms of biological mechanisms. We examined how such biological explanations of patients' symptoms would affect mental health clinicians' empathy--a crucial component of the relationship between treatment-providers and patients--as well as their clinical judgments and recommendations. In a series of studies, US clinicians read descriptions of potential patients whose symptoms were explained using either biological or psychosocial information. Biological explanations have been thought to make patients appear less accountable for their disorders, which could increase clinicians' empathy. To the contrary, biological explanations evoked significantly less empathy. These results are consistent with other research and theory that has suggested that biological accounts of psychopathology can exacerbate perceptions of patients as abnormal, distinct from the rest of the population, meriting social exclusion, and even less than fully human. Although the ongoing shift toward biomedical conceptualizations has many benefits, our results reveal unintended negative consequences.

SUBMITTER: Lebowitz MS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4273344 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of biological explanations for mental disorders on clinicians' empathy.

Lebowitz Matthew S MS Ahn Woo-kyoung WK

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20141201 50

Mental disorders are increasingly understood in terms of biological mechanisms. We examined how such biological explanations of patients' symptoms would affect mental health clinicians' empathy--a crucial component of the relationship between treatment-providers and patients--as well as their clinical judgments and recommendations. In a series of studies, US clinicians read descriptions of potential patients whose symptoms were explained using either biological or psychosocial information. Biolo ...[more]

PMID: 25453068

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Project description:BackgroundBiogenetic causal explanations of mental disorders are commonly used for public education and campaigns. However, the influence of biogenetic explanations on the ideas about and attitudes toward mental illness is unclear. We examined the influence of biogenetic explanations on attitudes toward mental disorders using a meta-analytic method accompanied by subgroup analyses.MethodsThe protocol for this meta-analysis was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020158656) in March 2020. Experimental and correlational studies were analyzed separately. Five outcome measures related to attitudes toward mental disorders were included: 'attitude toward help-seeking,' 'blame,' 'perceived dangerousness,' 'prognostic pessimism,' and 'social distance.' Subgroup analyses were performed for the type of mental disorder, population, and geographic region for which a biogenetic explanation was provided.ResultsA total of 44 studies were included, of which 24 were experimental and 20 were correlational. A positive attitude toward help-seeking was associated with having a biogenetic concept (d = 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18 to 0.67; P < 0.001) in general population and in Eastern countries in particular. Although a biogenetic explanation was associated with a decreased level of blame (d = -0.20; 95% CI, -0.38 to -0.02; P = 0.029) in the general population, it was also associated with significantly higher levels of perceived dangerousness (d = 0.13; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.23; P = 0.008). A tendency toward a higher level of prognostic pessimism and social distance was associated with a biogenetic concept of mental disorders although there was no statistical significance.ConclusionHaving a biogenetic concept of the cause of mental disorders was related with a positive attitude toward help-seeking, particularly in the general population and individuals living in Eastern countries. Providing a biogenetic explanation decreased blame toward individuals with mental illness but was associated with increased perceived dangerousness and prognostic pessimism. Therefore, although a biogenetic explanation promotes public use of mental health services, it should be carefully applied to avoid an increase in negative thoughts, such as that mental illness is biologically irreversible and untreatable.

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Effects of biological explanations for mental disorders on clinicians' empathy.

Publications

Effects of biological explanations for mental disorders on clinicians' empathy.

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