Haridas Shreya, Pramoj Shilpa, Mathew Kathleen A
Pharmacy, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Kochi, IND.
Psychiatry, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Kochi, IND.
Cureus. 2024 Oct 21;16(10):e72065. doi: 10.7759/cureus.72065. eCollection 2024 Oct.
Background Individuals with mental illness are frequently subjected to discriminatory and stigmatising behaviour in society. Promoting positive attitudes and improving awareness regarding mental illness among health professionals in training are important steps in mitigating stigma towards mental illness. There is a dearth of Indian studies which have looked into these aspects. The observations of the study aimed to assess whether stereotyped views on mental illness pertain among pharmacy students at a tertiary teaching institution in South India. Objective The study evaluates three key aspects related to pharmacy students and mental illness: 1) the attitude of pharmacy students towards individuals with mental illness, 2) their knowledge about mental illness and 3) their behavioural response towards mental illness. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among the students enrolled in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) programs in a teaching hospital in south India. Three hundred one completed responses were obtained. The study tools included a socio-demographic proforma, Mental Illness: Clinicians' Attitude Scale (MICA-4), Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS) and Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS). Results The mean scores obtained on MICA-4, MAKS and RIBS were 44.52 ± 7.662, 45.3156 ± 7.601 and 13.18 ± 4.884, respectively; 59.8% of the participants considered psychiatric patients as dangerous, and 70.1% of the respondents reported that they were capable of guiding a friend with a mental illness in accessing professional help. Female students had significantly lower MICA-4 scores than males (p = 0.001). First-year students had significantly lower RIBS scores as compared to the students in the second to the sixth years of study (p = 0.004). Conclusion Negative attitudes, stigmatising beliefs and behaviour towards mental illness are prevalent among future pharmacists. It is the need of the hour to ensure that mental health-related content and contact-based education aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination receive due emphasis as part of the pharmacy curriculum in the country.
患有精神疾病的个体在社会中经常遭受歧视和污名化行为。在接受培训的卫生专业人员中促进对精神疾病的积极态度并提高认识是减轻对精神疾病污名化的重要步骤。印度缺乏对这些方面的研究。该研究的观察旨在评估印度南部一所高等教学机构的药学专业学生中是否存在对精神疾病的刻板印象。
该研究评估与药学专业学生和精神疾病相关的三个关键方面：1）药学专业学生对患有精神疾病个体的态度，2）他们对精神疾病的知识，以及3）他们对精神疾病的行为反应。
在印度南部一家教学医院中，对攻读药学博士（PharmD）、药学学士（BPharm）和药学硕士（MPharm）课程的学生进行了一项横断面研究。获得了301份完整的回复。研究工具包括一份社会人口统计学表格、精神疾病：临床医生态度量表（MICA - 4）、心理健康知识问卷（MAKS）和报告与预期行为量表（RIBS）。
在MICA - 4、MAKS和RIBS上获得的平均得分分别为44.52±7.662、45.3156±7.601和13.18±4.884；59.8%的参与者认为精神病患者危险，70.1%的受访者报告他们能够指导患有精神疾病的朋友获得专业帮助。女学生的MICA - 4得分显著低于男学生（p = 0.001）。与二至六年级的学生相比，一年级学生的RIBS得分显著更低（p = 0.004）。
未来的药剂师中对精神疾病存在消极态度、污名化观念和行为。当务之急是确保作为该国药学课程的一部分，与心理健康相关的内容以及旨在减少污名化和歧视的基于接触的教育得到应有的重视。
