Public perception of mental health in Iraq

Sabah Sadik,Saad Al-Hasoon,Rachel Jenkins,Marie Bradley

doi:10.1186/1752-4458-4-26

Sabah Sadik, Saad Al-Hasoon + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-4458-4-26

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Abstract

BackgroundPeople who suffer from mental illness, the professionals who treat them, and indeed the actual concept of mental illness are all stigmatised in public perception and often receive very negative publicity. This paper looks at Iraq, which has a population of 30 million who are mainly Moslem. Mental health services and professionals have historically been sparse in Iraq with 1 psychiatrist per 300,000 before 2003 falling to 1 per million until recently and 1 primary care centre (40 Healthcare Workers including 4 General Practitioners) to 35,000 population, compared with 1 GP per 1700 population in the UK.MethodsWe aimed to assess public attitudes and perceptions to mental illness. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire (additional file 1), which was designed specifically for Iraqi contexts and was made available in 2 languages. The survey was carried out in 500 participants' homes across 2 districts of Baghdad.ResultsThe response rate of the survey was 86.4%. The paper shows respondents views on the aetiology of mental illness, perceptions of people with mental illness and attitudes towards care and treatment of people with mental illness.ConclusionsThis survey of public attitudes towards mental illness in Iraq has shown that community opinion about the aetiology of mental illness is broadly compatible with scientific evidence, but understanding of the nature of mental illness, its implications for social participation and management remains negative in general.

Highlights

People who suffer from mental illness, the professionals who treat them, and the actual concept of mental illness are all stigmatised in public perception and often receive very negative publicity
The aim of the present study is to conduct a baseline survey of population attitudes towards mental illness in Iraq, at the start of a project which aimed to improve public perception of mental health in Iraq through a dual intervention which comprised education of primary care staff about mental health, and education of the public through a media campaign
Instruments The questionnaire to assess public attitudes was developed in Iraq for the Iraqi context and included sections on socioeconomic data, previous contact with people with mental health problems, aetiology of mental illness, knowledge of people with mental illness and attitude towards people with mental health problems, and management of people with mental health problems

Summary

Introduction

People who suffer from mental illness, the professionals who treat them, and the actual concept of mental illness are all stigmatised in public perception and often receive very negative publicity. Mental health services and professionals have historically been sparse in Iraq with 1 psychiatrist per 300,000 before 2003 falling to 1 per million until recently and 1 primary care centre (40 Healthcare Workers including 4 General Practitioners) to 35,000 population, compared with 1 GP per 1700 population in the UK. People with mental health problems, mental health services, mental health professionals and even the very concept of mental health receive negative publicity and are stigmatised in public perceptions [1,2], despite growing evidence of the importance of mental health for economic, social and human capital. Mental health is one of the core priorities, along side maternal care, malnutrition, and noncommunicable diseases

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