The Attitude of Urban Society Towards Mental Disorders and Psychiatrists

Relevance. In recent years, the phenomenon of “depsychiatrization” has been increasingly discussed, referring to the tendency of psychiatry being gradually displaced by representatives of other medical specialties. Scholars attribute this trend to the low rate of patients seeking help from psychiatrists, which is largely due to the prevailing societal discrimination against individuals who utilize psychiatric services.

Intention. The purpose is to examine public attitudes toward mental disorders, psychiatrists, and psychiatry as a field, as well as to assess the public’s willingness to seek psychiatric care in the event of mental health disturbances.

Materials and methods. During the research, a specially developed “Questionnaire for studying the attitude of citizens to mental disorders and behavioral disorders” was used by the authors. A random sample of 1203 participants was formed to explore the research questions.

Results and conclusions. The study revealed two opposing social trends. On one hand, members of the urban population demonstrated an accurate understanding of the psychiatrist’s role and importance in treating mental disorders. On the other hand, there is a growing level of mistrust toward psychiatric services, largely fueled by widespread social fears and prejudice.