background Stigmatisation by health care providers of people suffering from mental health problems adds to the treatment gap of mental illnesses and discrimination of people with a mental illness in somatic care. Future physicians’ effort may be key to reduce these inequalities.
aim To inventorise the attitudes towards (different) mental illnesses in future physicians, and to determine whether they affect one’s feelings of being capable to treat people with mental illness.
method In April and May 2018, Flemish last-year medical students were presented with three psychiatric (and two other) cases online, each followed by statements on their attitude towards the described case.
results When considering people suffering from mental illness, the ideas of our respondents most often corresponded with those included in the frames ‘the journey’, ‘the mosaic’ and ‘the monster’. The latter may be most problematic in terms of stigma development, whereas the others may be helpful in reducing stigma. Importantly, respondents’ attitudes strongly differed in function of the psychiatric problem the patient had. The extent to which respondents adopted ‘the journey’ and ‘the mosaic’ added to one’s feelings of being capable to treat mental illness.
conclusion Flemish final year medical students often have a rather compassionate view on (people with) mental illness, but their ideas strongly differ between patients with different diagnoses. Mass media and educational institutions have a large responsibility in reducing stigma in future physicians and in learning them to think in the best possible way about mental illness. Moreover, attitudes helpful in reducing stigma add to a professional’s feeling of being capable to treat patients with mental illness.