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Abstract
Background: Misconceptions about the role of a psychiatrist are anecdotally widespread but have been under researched.
Aims: This study aimed to establish views on training and working in psychiatry amongst preclinical medical students at a South London Medical School and amongst a general public sample.
Methods: A semi-structured online questionnaire was used to survey medical students, with a similar paper questionnaire being used to survey members of the public in a general practice waiting room using a convenience sampling method.
Results: Strikingly, the majority of the public thought that psychiatrists did not need a medical degree (54%) or postgraduate training (56%). There were significant misconceptions about treatments used in mental health, for example 16% of the public sample thought psychiatrists never use medication and 31% of medical students (and 14% of the public) thought psychiatrists never use electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In response to “do you believe a psychiatrist is able to know what people are thinking?”, 45% of students and 57% of the public answered “sometimes”.
Conclusion: The results have important implications for public education, as lack of awareness about psychiatry may inhibit help seeking for mental illness, and have a negative impact on recruitment to psychiatry amongst medical students.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.