Abstract :
Background: Most of the time, medical students are the first access points to the health care system, and play a critical role in early identification of mental illnesses. Identifying knowledge gaps about mental illness amongst medical students constitutes one of the first step toward reducing treatment gap.
Aims: To assess the level of Mental Health Literacy about depression among medical students.
Methods: A total of 200 medical students, 100 of whom had completed psychiatric posting and 100 who had not completed were recruited through purposive sampling. A semi-structured proforma to capture the socio-demographic details and a self-administered questionnaire containing case vignette about depressive symptoms were administered.
Results: Medical students who have completed their psychiatry posting were significantly better in comparison to those who did not complete psychiatry posting during internship, in terms of identification of depression in the case vignette and recognition of antidepressants as helpful medications for the condition.
onclusion: Mental health literacy about depression is poor among medical students who have not completed their psychiatric posting.
Keyword :
Depression; Mental health literacy; Medical students.