To assess mental health literacy among MBBS students about Psychiatric issues at Patna Medical College

Abstract

Background: Mental health is a big problem throughout the world, and India is not far behind. When we look at progress in the field of mental health, it appears to be sluggish. Despite the fact that a newly created mental health literacy (MHL) scale revealed substantial score disparities between the general public and mental health professionals, there is currently no published scale to measure MHL among healthcare students. Aims and Objectives: The major part was comparing the knowledge, attitude and perception of 1st year medical students with final year medical students regarding psychiatric disorders and measuring there response on Likert scale. Materials and Methods: The participants were recruited from 1st year to final year undergraduate students, during the period April 2019 to January 2020 in Patna Medical College and Hospital, Patna. The sample consisted of 100 students (50 from 1st year MBBS Students and 50 from final year MBBS (Students) Non-random, non-stratified, and purposive sampling was done for the purpose of the study. Results: Among the groups, majority of the of the final year students (64%) agreed that the best described condition of the patient was Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but only 26% of the 1st years students agreed that the best described condition of the patient was Generalized Anxiety Disorder. There was significant difference between 1st years and final year students about the knowledge of the described condition with P<0.001. Conclusion: Result showed that the final year students had more knowledge about the cases with regard to correct diagnosis, usefulness of various treatments and interventions and best the source of help. The 1st and final yearstudent had no differences in the attitude and perception regarding various cases given in the vignettes. Stigma based attitude was almost equally common among both 1st year and final year students.

Knowledge of Mental Health Among Physiotherapy Students

“…This might be due to social stigmas about mental health prevailing in developing countries like India. Participants were having below average (47.80%) knowledge of risk factors and causes of mental health issues [1] . There are some previous studies has been found which support to the present study.…”

“…This concept implies that mental health encompasses more than the absence of mental illnesses or impairments. [1] Mental health is a condition of well-being in which a person recognizes his or her own strengths, and is able to cope with everyday pressures, works effectively, and contributes to his or her community. The capacity to get access to, comprehend, and apply information in ways that promote and sustain good health has been characterized as health literacy (HL).…”

“…In 1954, Dr. Brock Chisholm, the first Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), predicted that "there can be no real physical health without mental health." [1] The WHO extended the definition of HL in 1998 to include "the cognitive and social abilities that define an individual's motivation and ability to get, comprehend, and utilize information in ways that promote and sustain good health." The mental health care delivery system has a difficulty due to a lack of understanding regarding mental illnesses.…”

“…Ignorance and misinformation have negative repercussions such as stigma and discrimination. [1] Mental health literacy can be defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorder which did their recognition, management, or prevention. [3] Failure to recognize the symptoms of mental illness and a lack of knowledge of the appropriate actions to take if presented with these symptoms are considered sign of poor mental health literacy [3] .…”