Abstract

This study aims at examining how groups of university students with a knowledge background different from that of psycology students perceive the experience of a patient in a state of delirium. The stimulus is a 30-minute videorecording of a clinical interview taking place in an acute situation in a psychiatric ward. By means of research interviews two areas are investigated: subjects' recall of and reactions to the recording. The analysis procedures are carried out on the recorded interviews, which were integrally transcribed by two indipendent judgesempio Results show significant differences between the groups of students, both in amount of recall and perception of the delirious patient. The fifth-year pychology students experience the recording with suffering, compassion, identification. They use the delirium label and show fear. The groups of students from scientific faculties experience the recording with detachment and catch especially its comic aspect. Differences of delirium perception seem indeed to be due to different school training and not to other factors.