A cross-sectional study on the attitude of nonpsychiatric health-care professionals toward mental health

Background: Mental illness is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. General health facilities are the first point of contact for patients with mental illness. Physicians seldom detect mental health issues, and referrals to mental health professionals are made infrequently. Therefore, health-care professionals need to be educated to have adequate knowledge and positive attitude for detection and timely intervention for the mentally ill. In this study, we intended to concentrate on the attitude of nonpsychiatric health-care professionals toward mental illness. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study. We studied 260 nurses, interns, and postgraduates at a medical college in Bangalore, Karnataka, with copies of a semi-structured socioeconomical questionnaire and Mental Illness: Clinicians' Attitude Scale-Version 4. Results: We found that younger age group (p < 0.001), history of previous psychiatric consultations with themselves (p < 0.001) or with families/friends (p < 0.05), and postgraduates (p < 0.05) had a significantly more positive attitude toward mental illness, but that the group with older age group (p < 0.001), and nursing staff (p < 0.001), had a significantly more negative attitude toward mental illness. Conclusion: Adequate training and knowledge about mental illness are needed for health-care providers, to enable them for early detection, decreased morbidity, and reduced stigma of the mentally ill.