Medical students' attitudes toward psychiatry in Greece : an eight-year comparison

This study is a comparative investigation of the attitudes toward psychiatry of two medical student groups who did their undergraduate training in psychiatry in 1985 and 1993. Attitude assessments were carried out by using the Libertarian Mental Health Ideology Scale (LMHIS). The students completed the questionnaire twice, at the beginning and at the end of their clerkship. The LMHIS was also completed by the teaching staff. Both medical student groups showed a significant change in their attitudes toward psychiatry after the end of the training. The change consisted of a shift to a more medical orientation. However, the 1993 group manifested a significantly higher medical orientation both before and after their undergraduate training in psychiatry compared with the 1985 group. Furthermore, the former group's opinions at the end of their education were similar to those of their teaching staff, whereas the 1985 students continued to have a lower medical orientation compared with the teaching staff. These findings indicate that 1) psychiatric education during medical school may significantly mold students' attitudes toward psychiatry and 2) if these medical student groups represent the larger Greek society, then significant changes may be occurring in the Greek society about attitudes toward psychiatry.