STIGMA TOWARDS PATIENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG POSTGRADUATE TRAINEES OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Abstract

Objective: To assess stigmatizing attitude by using “Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness” (CAMI) subscale scores toward patients with mental illness among postgraduate trainees of a tertiary care facility. Study Design: Descriptive Cross sectional study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi from December to June 2019. Subjects and Methods: A total number of 110 FCPS Postgraduate Trainees working in different departments of JPMC were selected. Study variables like age, gender, marital status, speciality, year of training, total duration of clinical experience, the experience of working in the psychiatry department, family and personal history of psychiatric illness were collected through semi-structured proforma and stigma was assessed by “Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness ” (CAMI) scale which had four subscales: Authoritarianism, Benevolence, Social Restrictiveness and Community Mental Health Ideology (CMHI). Results: 110 doctors participated in the study. We found a 30.9% stigma among postgraduate trainees. Those with clinical experience of 1-4 years had higher benevolence scores than those who had clinical experience of 4-8 years. Female gender has higher scores on Benevolence and Community Mental Health Ideology subscale than males, which showed female has a more positive attitude towards mental illness. Those with a personal history of psychiatric illness had less score on a social restrictive scale which showed a less stigmatizing attitude. Conclusion: Mental illness is a severe issue that affects millions of people worldwide. Many people who suffer from mental illness are often stigmatized by society and even medical professionals. It is important to create awareness among healthcare professionals about the importance of understanding and treating mental illness with respect and compassion.