Antidepressant awareness and stigmatizing attitudes toward depression and antidepressants, a comparison between first and sixth-year medical students.

Background and Aim: Psychiatric disorders and antidepressant usage rates have increased over the years. However, prejudice, self, and public stigma continue to impede patients from receiving appropriate treatment, especially in traditional societies. In this study, the views of first and sixth-year medical students were examined. We aimed to show the potential effect of public information and 6 years of medical education on knowledge and awareness.
Method: Our target population was first and sixth-year medical students at the Faculty of Medicine at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey, during the semester 2018-2019. For measurement, widely used scales such as the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory were administered. In addition, scales formed specifically by our research team: Sociodemographic information form and Depression and Antidepressant Awareness and Knowledge Scale were used.
Results: Compared to first-year participants, sixth-year participants had significantly less stigmatizing views on individual statements. The overall stigma score of sixth-year participants was significantly lower ( p  < .05) than first-year participants. Linear Regression Analysis showed that the only predictor of overall stigma score was the depression score ( p  < .05, beta = -0.36), which acted as a negative predictor.
Discussion: Sixth-year participants had higher rates of diagnosed psychiatric illness and psychiatric drug usage. Interestingly, the score was not a predictor of the overall stigma score. However, in the responses to individual statements, we observed an overall increase in knowledge and decreased stigma among the sixth-year participants compared to first-year participants. The effects of medical education on knowledge are significant overall. On the other hand, the level of knowledge and beliefs of our first-year participants, which are similar to the public, show a worrisome situation indicating that broader public education efforts are needed. Our study shows an encouraging perspective, indicating that public awareness campaigns can be very effective in increasing knowledge and decreasing misconceptions.