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This paper coin pares the conceptions of mental illness held by a group of psychiatrists and a random sample of the general public in the same locality. The hypothesis was that the public, but not the psychiatrists, would tend to consider troublesome behavior as being more indicative of mental illness than non-troublesome behavior. Statements representing five pairs of troublesome non-troublesome types of behavior were rated by both groups as indicators of mental illness. Analysis of the data, using the statements at face value and with a weighting system, did not support the hypothesis. Both public and psychiatrists appear to have similar views but not in the expected order. Most notably, manic behavior ranked very low among the conceptions of mental illness. This finding accords with recent reports of a decline in the incidence of manic- depressive psychoses. Is this decline due to changes in modern society that alter public and psychiatric conceptions of mental illness? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information about the book "Report of the International Study Group of the World Federation of Mental Health," vol. 2, "Mental Health and Contemporary Thought," and vol. 3, "Mental Health in the Service of the Community," edited by Kenneth Soddy and Robert H. Ahrenfeldt. In June 1961 the World Federation of Mental Health assembled a study group of twenty-four experts for an extended period of extempore discussion. The participants prepared working papers in advance of the meeting and tape recordings were made of the discussions. Using these materials two members of the Study Group have produced a three-volume report of the proceedings. In his Preface the Chairman of the Study Group seeks to anticipate criticisms from the natural science purists of such an unsystematic, unorthodox approach to problem solving. In vol. 2, social, demographic, diplomatic and military problems get some decidedly amateurish handling. About ninety pages of introduction and bibliography are common to all three volumes.