Characteristics of Physicians Interested in Psychiatric Education

Abstract

720 primary (nonpsychiatrist) physicians responded to a mail distributed questionnaire investigating their attitudes to and practices with psychiatric education, psychiatrists and emotionally disturbed patients. Respondents were divided into two groups on the basis of whether or not they had attended postgraduate courses in psychiatry. Outstanding characteristics of the physicians who had taken courses compared to those who had not were: 1) a higher percentage in general practice than in a specialty, 2) greater confidence in their own psychiatric diagnostic and therapeutic skills, 3) higher estimates of psychiatric disorders in their practices, 4) more willingness to treat emotionally disturbed patients, including aftercare patients, 5) more competent use of psychoactive drugs for depression and schizophrenia, 6) greater interest in psychiatry, 7) stronger subjective needs for help with the management of their disturbed patients, and 8) higher frequency of personal psychotherapy. The two groups did not differ in: 1) evaluations of their previous educational experiences in psychiatry, 2) the hours per week devoted to medical practice, or the number of patients seen per day, 3) indications for intervention or preferred modes of treatment with psychiatric cases, 4) attitudes towards the usefulness of psychiatry, 5) frequency of making psychiatric referrals, and 6) skill with psychoactive drugs for anxiety.