OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess broadly the attitudes ad perceptions of consultant doctors, fellows, residents, medical interns, nurses and orderlies toward mental illness.

METHODOLOGY: A representative sample of 326 medical hospital staff 18 years old and above in the Medical City was surveyed from March 15, 2010 to June 19, 2010. Attitudes and perceptions of the respondents were measured by using the two scales: Community Attitudes Toward the Mentality III Scale (CAMI) and Empathy Toward the Mentally III Scale. CAMI was divided into 4 subcategories: authoritarianism, benevolence, restrictiveness and Community Mental Health Ideology (CMHI). Empathy Toward the Mentally III Scale represented the eight concepts with a positive and negative counterpart for each concept. Data was encoded and tallied in SPSS Version 10 for windows.

RESULTS: Results indicated that orderlies/nurse aides were more authoritative than the residents/fellows as well as medical interns and lowest among orderlies/nurse assistants. Scores with social restrictiveness decreased with increasing age of the respondents. Although there was no significant difference with regard to positive and negative empathy with age, a trend of increasing positive scores with increasing age was noted. According to sex, no significant difference in the attitudes and perceptions of the respondents was found. With regards to previous experience/ contact with mentally ill, higher scores on benevolence and CMHI were seen. Furthermore, higher scores for positive empathy were noted among those with experience on the mentally ill and have the lowest negative score.  On the other hand, among those without previous experience /contact with the mentally ill, higher scores were noted for authoritarianism and social restrictiveness. Highest scores for positive attitude were noted among consultants, residents, fellows, and medical interns and lowest among orderlies/nurse assistants.

CONCLUSION: The level of care and service to psychiatric patients can be compromised by stigmatizing attitudes from the medical hospital staff. It is therefore imperative that further education on mental health is promoted in hospital institutions and anti-stigma initiatives established in our society.