Attitude of medical students towards psychiatry and person with psychiatric disorders: A comparative descriptive study from a tertiary health care institution in Puducherry

Abstract

Background: The availability of mental health care providers is inadequate to increasing mental health problems in India especially in primary health care setting.  The inadequacy in knowledge, attitude and skill acquired during undergraduate medical training hinders the primary care physicians to detect and manage mental illnesses.

Objective: To compare the attitude of medical students towards psychiatry and individuals with mental illnesses based on their exposure to clinical psychiatry postings.

Methodology: This cross section comparative descriptive study was conducted among medical students of a medical college in Pondicherry. A total of 123 third semester (comparison/unexposed group) and 109 seventh semester MBBS students were self administered the pre-tested study tool. Information on opinion towards psychiatry and patients with psychiatric illnesses (using semi-structured questionnaire) and attitude (stigmatization behaviour) towards patients with psychiatric illnesses (using OMS-HC) was collected and statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20.0.

Results: Proportionally more participants in unexposed group attributed personal level factors as aetiology of mental illnesses. No significant difference was noted on feeling towards mentally ill patients between the two groups. However, nearly 30% of the total participants reported feeling of nervous, anger, hatred and fear towards mentally ill patients. Higher proportions of exposed students were found to have right knowledge about manageability of patients with psychiatry illnesses. Significantly higher proportion of exposed students were reported to consider psychiatry as career option (48% vs 28%, p <0.05). The exposed group of students were also found to have less stigmatization attitude towards mentally ill patients.

Conclusion: Most of medical students in our study population have indifference or negative attitude towards psychiatry and mentally ill patients which was found to be improved slightly upon exposure clinical psychiatry posting. Hence, proper implementation of psychiatry in undergraduate medical curriculum and increasing the duration of exposure to clinical psychiatry posting can change the attitude of medical students towards psychiatry and mentally ill patients, thereby increasing the mental health man power.