Medical students' attitucle to psychiatry

ABSTRACT

A survey of attitudes to psychiatry was conducted on a group of 92 Kuwaiti senior medical students before and after a 6-week clerkship in psychiatry. A significant attitudinal change was observed in 4 of 18 items in a positive direction, while one item moved in an unfavorable direction. The percentage of students interested in a career in psychiatry rose from 2.2% prior to training to 8.7% after training. Poor working conditions, social stigma attached to mental illness, and low professional status were the main reasons given by students against specializing in psychiatry. Students' reasons for or against this subject are discussed