Psychiatric Bulletin (2006) 30: 382-384. doi: 10.1192/pb.30.10.382
© 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Psychiatric Bulletin (2006) 30: 382-384
© 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Barriers to mental healthcare for psychiatrists

Alfred White, Consultant Psychiatrist

Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Mindelsohn Way, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2QZ, email: alfred.white{at}bsmht.nhs.uk

Purushottam Shiralkar, Specialist Registrar in Psychiatry

Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Birmingham

Tariq Hassan, Staff Grade in Psychiatry

Newbridge House, Birmingham

Niall Galbraith, Research Fellow

Division of Health in the Community, Warwick Medical School, Coventry

Rhiannon Callaghan, Specialist Registrar in Psychiatry

Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Birmingham

Declaration of interest

None.

AIMS AND METHOD

To determine the opinions of psychiatrists on mental illness among themselves and their colleagues a postal survey was conducted across the West Midlands.

RESULTS

Most psychiatrists (319/370, 86.2%) would be reluctant to disclose mental illness to colleagues or professional organisations (323/370, 87.3%). Their choices regarding disclosure and treatment would be influenced by issues of confidentiality (n=245, 66%), stigma (n=83, 22%) and career implications (n=128, 35%) rather than quality of care (n=60, 16%).

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

The stigma associated with mental illness remains prevalent among the psychiatric profession and may prevent those affected from seeking adequate treatment and support. Appropriate, confidential specialist psychiatric services should be provided for this vulnerable group, and for doctors as a whole, to ensure that their needs, and by extension those of their patients, are met.




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