Attitude towards psychiatrists: A comparison between two metropolitan cities in India.

BACKGROUND: Few patients in need of mental health care have access to psychiatric care in low and middle income countries. Public attitudes towards psychiatrists have not been adequately studied in most developing countries and especially in India, where on average one trained psychiatrist is available for 300,000 people. The aim of our study was to explore attitudes towards psychiatrists in the general population in two Indian metropolitan cities (Chennai and Kolkata) and to identify factors that could influence these attitudes.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Explorative surveys in the context of public attitudes towards psychiatrists were conducted in a convenience sample from the general population in Chennai (n=166) and Kolkata (n=158). Sampling was balanced for age, gender and school education.

RESULTS: Comparing the two samples using a multivariate analysis, we found more negative attitudes towards psychiatrists in Chennai compared to Kolkata (p<0.0001). Negative attitudes correlated with lower education levels (p<0.001) and stronger religious beliefs (p<0.05) in both cities.

CONCLUSION: Attitudes towards psychiatrists differed widely between two large metropolitan cities in India. In line with previous studies, negative attitudes correlated with lower level of education and stronger religious beliefs across both cities. Future studies may identify finer cultural and social factors that play an important role in attitudes towards psychiatrists in a diverse country like India.