Attitudes Towards Psychiatry: A Survey of Romanian Medical Residents
Abstract
Attitudes toward psychiatry affect personnel working in the field and treatment of mentally ill patients (1). Attitudes toward psychiatry as a vocation might primarily affect recruitment, whereas attitudes toward psychiatry patients may affect clinical practice; these issues have not been investigated (2). Doctors attitudes likely mirror those of the general population, although, unlike the general population, physicians come into contact with psychiatrists and psychiatry patients during their formal training or practice. Thus, a physician may develop a more objective perception of psychiatry than society as a whole. Physicians opinions are composed of several elements: impressions of psychiatrists themselves, psychiatry patients, and psychiatry as a discipline. Each of these is independent to a degree; one can have a low perception of psychiatry patients but high regard for psychiatrists (2). There is little research on residents or specialists perceptions of psychiatry (2–7). Within the medical community, there is controversy over the role and status of psychiatry, not only among other specialists, but among psychiatrists too (7). A number of published studies tried to assess medical students perceptions of psychiatry, aiming to counteract the decline of recruitment into psychiatry, although students preferences were found to be poor predictors of career choice