Stigma and knowledge of depression : a survey comparing medical and non-medical students and staff in Lahore, Pakistan.

Background: High rates of depression have been reported in various surveys in Pakistan. However, people have limited knowledge of mental illnesses. There is limited information available on knowledge people have and attitudes they hold towards depression and other mental illnesses. A comparative study of the peoples attitudes and knowledge can be a good start to explore this topic further. Aims & Objectives: To assess and compare the attitudes and knowledge of medical and non medical professionals and students in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A survey was circulated among the medical students and the doctors of the three medical colleges, as well as the students and teachers of The Punjab University in Lahore, Pakistan. Of the medical group, 294 (59%) of the 500 survey forms sent out were returned, while in non medical group 194 out of 300 (64.66%) survey forms were returned. Results: Fifty percent of the medical students and professionals claimed that they had not heard about depression. A significant proportion of all the people surveyed had a negative attitude towards depressed patients. Conclusion: The psychiatric conditions need a more prominent place in medical education. The educated sections of the Pakistani society need better information about these conditions. Probably lay press and universities need to look into it