Adolescents and Psychosis: A Study on the Attitudes in a Northern Italian Town

scientific evidences show that psychotic disorders come to the treatment a few years after their onset, when the symptoms have stabilized. There are many factors responsible for this delay, including the role played by stigma, which often hinders an early identification of symptoms. Materials and e methods: a study was conducted in two high schools in a northern Italian town, through a questionnaire that assesses the attitudes towards people suffering from psychosis. Results : 408 students were enrolled in the study: 57.8% male and 42.2% female. Only 8.6% of the students believe that effective therapies for the treatment of people with psychosis exist, and only 16.4% states that most of them can recover or improve. 61.3% report that people with psychosis should be treated in hospitals for a long time. Conclusions : the results show that students have negative attitudes towards people suffering from psychosis, in particular as regards the treatment. For this reason it’s important to promote public actions, of sensitization and information, in order to increase the knowledge about current model of community-based care for the treatment of these disorders and their possible positive outcome.