Over the past decades, psychiatry has changed in many respects. Of particular note was the acceleration of advances in neuroscience and genetics during the 1990s, designated by the American Congress as the 'decade of the Brian', that helped increase our understanding of the biological nature of mental disorders. Also during this period, a second generation of psychotropic drugs were introduced,which although not demonstrably more efficacious have either fewer or different side-effects. Of equal importance, in Germany, as in other European countries, the provision and organisation of mental healthcare underwent profound changes. As a result the out-patient sector has expanded tremendously, accompanied by substantial reduction in the number of beds in large psychhiatric hospitals, the opening of psychiatric departments in general hospitals and an increase in places in day hospitals. the quastion arises as to whether these changes are reflected in similar changes in the attitudes of the German public towards people with mental illness and mental healthcare. It was hoped that the recognition of mental disorders as brian disorder, the inceasing integration of psychiatry to the rest of medicine, advancements in treatment and the reform of mental healthcare would have a greatly benificial impact on both the stigma attacged topeople with mental illness and the stigma attached to psychiatry. The expectation was that as consequence the public would both reject less those with mental disorders and accept more the help offered by mental health services.