Attitude toward patients with mental disorders: what is going on amongst Iranian pharmacies?

Introduction: As the incidence of mental disorders continues to rise, and pharmacy staff can significantly affect the willingness of patients with mental disorders to seek help; we aimed to evaluate the stigmatizing attitude of the pharmacy staff toward these patients in Iran.

Methods: We conducted this cross-sectional study between April 2020 and December 2021 in Tehran, Iran, and included pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy students, with the experience of working in a pharmacy for at least three months. The social distance scale (SDS) and dangerousness scale (DS) were used to measure the stigmatizing attitude of the participants.

The attitude of contemporary Iranian directors and screenwriters toward patients with mental disorders in comparison with general population.

Background: Mental disorders are accountable for 16% of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Therefore, accessible, cost-effective interventions are needed to help provide preventive and therapeutic options. As directors and screenwriters can reach a great audience, they can use their platform to either promote stigma or educate the public with the correct definition and conception of mental disorders.