[Attitudes of psychiatry residents toward mental illness].
BACKGROUND
Attitudes of lay people and physicians towards mentally ill patients are frequently highly biased. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in attitudes of psychiatry and internal medicine residents toward mental illness and to establish the relationship between their attitudes and their personal characteristics.


METHODS
The sample consisted of 45 psychiatry and 36 internal medicine residents. The attitudes toward mental illness were assessed using Opinions about Mental Illness Questionnaire (OMI) and personality traits were examined using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ).


RESULTS
Our findings showed that in regard to internal medicine residents, psychiatry residents do not consider mentally ill patients to be inferior and dangerous. Psychiatry residents have a benevolent attitude toward the mentally ill. Personality traits of psychiatry residents were not related to their opinions about mental illness.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that there is a need to develop strategies that would bring about changes in the curriculum of training programs for medical residents, including proper training in mental health issues. Such strategies should help in destigmatization of persons with mental disorders and increase the competence of physicians to deal with mentally ill.
Pejović-Milovancević
Milica
M
Institut za mentalno zdravlje, Beograd. mpejovic@eunet.yu
Lecić-Tosevski
Dusica
D
Tenjović
Lazar
L
Draganić-Gajić
Saveta
S
Christodoulou
George N
GN
Stepanović
Jelena
J
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*