title: Does Postgraduate Training in Community Mental Health Make a Difference to Primary Care Physicians' Attitudes to Depression and Schizophrenia?
abstract: This study investigated the differences in attitudes towards mental health patients between primary care physicians (PCPs) who have received postgraduate training in community mental health and those who have not. A questionnaire regarding the PCPs' attitudes towards mental health care in general, and specifically on depression and schizophrenia, was designed to compare the attitudes between the PCPs with postgraduate training in community mental health (CMH group) and those without (non-CMH group). Besides having greater confidence in management, PCPs in the CMH group had less stigmatizing opinions towards the mental health patients than those in the non-CMH group. Differences between the two groups were mostly shown in the case for depression but not for schizophrenia. The proportion of PCPs who liked to have depressed patients on their practice list was significantly higher in the CMH group (94 vs 71 %), and their satisfaction rate in looking after depressed patients was also significantly higher than the non-CMH group (87 vs 59 %).
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, 3/F, Ap Lei Chau Clinic, 161 Main Street, Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong, tplam@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Tai Pong
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Kwok Fai
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Edmund Wing Wo
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Kai Sing
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000193:education*; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires