Abstract

Context: Both the field of psychiatry and mental disorders are stigmatized heavily. Even doctors are susceptible to the stigma that still exists. Psychiatrists are thought to be less respectable, less prestigious, less recognized, and have a less scientific approach. Aims: The goal of the current study was to determine how medical students felt about the specialty of psychiatry after being exposed to medical education for a variety of lengths of time. Settings and Design: The study was carried out in Telangana at a private medical school. Two groups of participants, undergraduates and house surgeons, were formed from the total number of participants. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Materials and Methods: The house surgeons and second year students were given sociodemographic and attitude toward psychiatry 30 items questionnaires, and the results were evaluated using the proper statistical methods. Statistical Analysis Used: Student's t-test and Chi-square test using SPSS version 21. Results: 52% of house surgeons and almost 84% of second year medical students (P = 0.001) had favourable attitudes of psychiatry. Only five second years (5%) and two house surgeons (1.8%) said they would like to pursue psychiatry as a career, while 73% said they would not like to specialise in the field. Conclusions: Compared to the house surgeon group, second year medical students displayed a more positive attitude. Increased negativity in upper level classes may be a result of subpar psychiatric instruction during undergraduate training, as well as offensive statements and stereotypes made by medical educators and practitioners from other specialised streams.

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