Abstract
Aims and MethodOne objective of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' stigma campaign is to improve the public's knowledge about psychiatric illness. There has been little work in the UK on the public's knowledge of the training of psychiatrists and the treatments they use. Using a questionnaire, we compared a sample representing the general population (n=223) with a sample attending psychiatric outpatients (n=67) to assess their level of knowledge.ResultsHalf of the general population sample did not know that psychiatrists were medically qualified, and 80% underestimated the length of psychiatric training. There was variable knowledge of the conditions treated by psychiatrists and treatment methods used, with the outpatient group having better knowledge of drug treatments.CLINICAL IMPLICATIONIf the general public do not know about the training and expertise of psychiatrists, this is likely to limit their willingness to seek treatment for mental illness.
Highlights
Half of the general population sample did not know that psychiatrists were medically qualified, and 80% underestimated the length of psychiatric training
36% of the general population identified dementia as a condition that psychiatrists were involved in treating, those attending as psychiatric outpatients had significantly greater levels of knowledge regarding psychiatrists' involvement in treating dementia and drug problems
The sample chosen to survey was not a truly random sample of the general population, sites and times of surveying were selected in both rural and urban sites to represent a range of socio-economic groups
Summary
One objective of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' stigma campaign is to improve the public's knowledge about psychiatric illness. There has been little work in the UK on the public's knowledge of the training of psychiatrists and the treatments they use. We compared a sample representing the general population (n=223) with a sample attending psychiatric outpatients (n=67) to assess their level of knowledge
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