Table 2 The public’s perception of the stigma attached to former mental patients in Tianjin^a

1. Most people would willingly accept a former mental patient as a close friend

2. Most people believe that a person who has been in a mental hospital is just as intelligent as the average person

3. Most people believe that a former mental patient is just as trustworthy as the average citizen

4. Most people would accept a fully recovered former mental patient as a teacher of young children in a public school

5. Most people feel that entering a mental hospital is a sign of personal failure (R)

6. Most people would not hire a former mental patient to take care of their children, even if he or she had been well for some time (R)

7. Most people think less of a person who has been in a mental hospital (R)

8. Most employers will hire a former mental patient if he or she is qualified for the job

9. Most employers will pass over the application of a former mental patient in favor of another applicant (R)

10. Most people in my community would treat a former mental patient just as they could treat anyone

11. Most young women would be reluctant to date a man who has been hospitalized for a serious mental disorder (R)

12. Once they know a person was in a mental hospital, most people will take his opinions less seriously (R)