Perception, knowledge, and attitude toward mental disorders and psychiatry among medical undergraduates in Karnataka: A cross-sectional study

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Abstract

Context:

Globally, psychiatry as a subject, psychiatrists as professionals, and patients with psychiatric disorders are subjected to cultural stereotypes and negative attitude by the general population. What is of alarming concern is that these prejudices exist within the medical community as well.

Aims:

This study aims at evaluating the perception, knowledge, and attitude toward psychiatric disorders, therapeutic modalities used in psychiatry, psychiatry as a subject and psychiatrists as professionals among undergraduate medical students in Karnataka.

Settings and Design:

This is a descriptive, cross-sectional type of study conducted in three medical colleges located in Karnataka.

Materials and Methods:

A sample of 500 students from all three professional phases of MBBS was selected using purposive sampling. A semistructured prevalidated questionnaire was used to assess the perception, knowledge, and attitude of undergraduate medical students toward psychiatric disorders and psychiatry.

Statistical Analysis:

Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 16.0.

Results:

The undergraduate medical student population had significant shortcomings in knowledge and attitude pertaining to psychiatric disorders, more glaring in the initial years of education. A comparatively positive opinion was obtained regarding psychiatry as a subject and psychiatrists as professionals, which may reflect the changing trends and concepts, both in society and medical community.

Conclusion:

This study highlights the need for better educational measures at undergraduate level in order to shape a positive attitude of the health care providers towards psychiatry, which is essential for ensuring better care for patients as well as reduction of stigma surrounding psychiatric disorders.

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Most cited references 25

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Myths, beliefs and perceptions about mental disorders and health-seeking behavior in Delhi, India

Jugal Kishore, Avni Gupta, Ram Jiloha … (2011)

Objectives: To assess the myths, beliefs and perceptions about mental disorders and health-seeking behavior in general population and medical professionals of India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 436 subjects (360 subjects from urban and rural communities of Delhi and 76 medical professionals working in different organizations in Delhi). A pre-tested questionnaire consisting items on perceptions, myths, and beliefs about causes, treatment, and health-seeking behavior for mental disorders was used. The collected data were statistically analyzed using computer software package Epi-info. Appropriate tests of significance were applied to detect any significant association. Results: The mental disorders were thought to be because of loss of semen or vaginal secretion (33.9% rural, 8.6% urban, 1.3% professionals), less sexual desire (23.7% rural, 18% urban), excessive masturbation (15.3% rural, 9.8% urban), God's punishment for their past sins (39.6% rural, 20.7% urban, 5.2% professionals), and polluted air (51.5% rural, 11.5% urban, 5.2% professionals). More people (37.7%) living in joint families than in nuclear families (26.5%) believed that sadness and unhappiness cause mental disorders. 34.8% of the rural subjects and 18% of the urban subjects believed that children do not get mental disorders, which means they have conception of adult-oriented mental disorders. 40.2% in rural areas, 33.3% in urban areas, and 7.9% professionals believed that mental illnesses are untreatable. Many believed that psychiatrists are eccentric (46.1% rural, 8.4% urban, 7.9% professionals), tend to know nothing, and do nothing (21.5% rural, 13.7% urban, 3.9% professionals), while 74.4% of rural subjects, 37.1% of urban subjects, and 17.6% professionals did not know that psychiatry is a branch of medicine. More people in rural areas than in urban area thought that keeping fasting or a faith healer can cure them from mental illnesses, whereas 11.8% of medical professionals believed the same. Most of the people reported that they liked to go to someone close who could listen to their problems, when they were sad and anxious. Only 15.6% of urban and 34.4% of the rural population reported that they would like to go to a psychiatrist when they or their family members are suffering from mental illness. Conclusion: It can be concluded from this study that the myths and misconceptions are significantly more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas and among medical professionals, and the people need to be communicated to change their behavior and develop a positive attitude toward mental disorders so that health-seeking behavior can improve.

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The attitudes of 'tomorrow's doctors' towards mental illness and psychiatry: changes during the final undergraduate year.

H Baxter, C Duggan, P Standen … (2001)

To compare the efficacy of two teaching styles, didactic teaching and problem based learning, in producing enduring change in final-year medical students' attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness. A 1-year follow-up questionnaire survey of two groups of medical students taught psychiatry in their fourth-year training by two different methods. One-year follow-up scores were compared with pre-attachment and post-attachment scores in the fourth year. 70 (68%) students completed both questionnaires at follow-up. The follow-up scores were significantly lower compared with both the fourth-year pre-attachment and post-attachment scores, suggesting that the positive change in attitudes following psychiatric training in the fourth year significantly decayed during the final year. The two teaching methods did not differ in the magnitude of this reduction. The positive change that occurs in medical students' attitude towards psychiatry, psychiatrists and mental illness after their fourth-year psychiatric training is transient and decays over the final year.

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Impact of psychiatry training on attitude of medical students toward mental illness and psychiatry

Prannay Gulati, Subhash K. Das, B Chavan (2014)

Context: Attitude of fresh graduates toward psychiatric patients is important to bridge the treatment gap due to mental illness. Psychiatry as a subject has been neglected in the undergraduates of MBBS. Aims: (1) To compare the attitude of medical students and interns in a medical college toward mental illness and psychiatry. (2) To assess the impact of psychiatric training on attitude toward the mentally ill person and mental illness. Settings and Design: Cross-sectional, single assessment study conducted at a tertiary hospital. Subjects and Methods: Participants consisted of medical students of 1st and 2nd year who didn’t have any exposure to psychiatry and interns, who had completed their compulsory 2 week clinical posting in psychiatry. Participants were individually administered sociodemographic proforma, General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), opinion about mental illness (OMI) scale, and attitude to psychiatry-29 (ATP-29) scale. Statistical Analysis: Standard descriptive statistics (mean, percentage), Chi-square test. Results: A total of 135 participants formed the study sample, with 48, 47, and 40 participants from 1st year, 2nd year and interns, respectively. Mean GHQ score was 14.03 for the entire sample. There was better outlook of interns toward psychiatry and patients with mental disorders in comparison to fresh graduate students in some areas. Overall, negative attitude toward mental illness and psychiatry was reflected. Conclusions: Exposure to psychiatry as per the current curriculum seems to have a limited influence in bringing a positive change in OMI and psychiatry.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Indian J Psychiatry

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Indian J Psychiatry

Journal ID (publisher-id): IJPsy

Title: Indian Journal of Psychiatry

Publisher: Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd (India )

ISSN (Print): 0019-5545

ISSN (Electronic): 1998-3794

Publication date (Print): Jan-Mar 2016

Volume: 58

Issue: 1

Pages: 70-76

Affiliations

[1]Department of Psychiatry, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India

[1 ]Department of Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India

[2 ]Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India

[3 ]Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Medical College, Dharwad, Karnataka, India

[4 ]Department of Psychiatry, Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore, India

Author notes

Address for correspondence: Dr. G. Aruna, Department of Psychiatry, Father Muller Medical College, Kankanady, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. E-mail: drarunayadiyal@ 123456yahoo.in

Article

Publisher ID: IJPsy-58-70

DOI: 10.4103/0019-5545.174381

PMC ID: 4776586

PubMed ID: 26985108

SO-VID: cf4d3115-dd51-4833-8ad0-930ebc833679

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This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

Perception, knowledge, and attitude toward mental disorders and psychiatry among medical undergraduates in Karnataka: A cross-sectional study

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Abstract

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Settings and Design:

Materials and Methods:

Statistical Analysis:

Results:

Conclusion:

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Most cited references 25

Myths, beliefs and perceptions about mental disorders and health-seeking behavior in Delhi, India

The attitudes of 'tomorrow's doctors' towards mental illness and psychiatry: changes during the final undergraduate year.

Impact of psychiatry training on attitude of medical students toward mental illness and psychiatry

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