Assessing attitudes of fourth year medical students towards psychiatry and mental illness.

Background: Research revealed a high prevalence of negative attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness among medical students prior to formal psychiatric education. Anti-stigma interventions at the medical student level have been postulated to reduce the risk of negative attitudes, which may drive stigmatization impacting recruitment into training posts and overall medical care.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of negative attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness in a sample of fourth-year medical students prior to formal psychiatric teaching.