Exploratory study about the image of mental illness in health professionals

Abstract

Introduction Stigma towards people diagnosed with a mental disorder is a phenomenon that has been observed in different contexts (labor, health, social, media), affecting therefore to different walks of life of the person who has it. One area where greater negative impact exerted by the stigma and discrimination associated is in health care. Objective Knowing what is the image of mental disorders and people who experience them by health professionals from different specialist who don't work in mental health area. Method Exploratory, observational, cross-sectional study. Participants One hundred and fifty medical professionals from different specialties Torrecardenas CH. Instruments Castilian translation of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers, developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Score from 0 to 80. Higher scores indicate a stigmatizing attitude. Results Of established comparisons have only found statistically significant differences between men and women in attitudes towards disclosure of diagnosis and seeking help. Conclusions Despite the study's limitations, the data show a trend of response points to a positive attitude towards people diagnosed mental disorder in the health field, while being reflected as feelings of guilt and fear of a possible employment discrimination continue to differentiate mental illness with respect to other diseases.