Attitude of Medical Students Towards Psychiatric Patients; Comparison Pre and Post Psychiatric Course

Background: Although mental health disorders are the leading cause for disability in the world, medical students seem to be showing less interest in psychiatry as a future career. Negative public opinion about psychiatry is one of the factors contributing to this attitude. On the other hand, gender differences have been observed in medical students in regard to their attitude towards mental health patients.Aims: Identify the attitudes towards psychiatry and psychiatric patients among medical students before and after the academic psychiatry course and to investigate the gender differences.Methods and Material: Students filled in a questionnaire assessing the attitude towards psychiatric patients before and after the psychiatry course.Results: Psychiatry was not preferred by nearly half of the students included. A detailed description of the results is included to present the attitudes of medical students towards psychiatric patients and to describe gender differences among this attitude.Conclusions: More programs increasing the awareness about psychiatry and reducing its stigma among medical students are needed. Given the gender differences noted, these programs might need to be gender- specific.