This study was made of an experimental adult education program and its effect on the general public's knowledge of and attitudes toward mental illness and related concepts. The program was based on freedom of expression, active involvement, and voluntary participation. The 74 participants were divided into a control and an experimental group matched by socioeconomic status, vocation, education, and age. Experimental subjects took part in the educational program, a session a week for three weeks. The control group received no treatment. Both groups responded to specially constructed pretest and posttest measures of attitudes and knowledge. In this study, high knowledge levels were not related to positive attitudes, nor were low levels related to negative attitudes. The experimental program significantly increased knowledge levels without increasing positive attitudes. (author/ly)