KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE REGARDING THE MANAGEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE AMONG FAMILY PHYSICIANS, SAUDI ARABIA, EASTERN REGION

Introduction: Mental health problems has become a growing health problem with an estimated high prevalence in the community. However, misdiagnosed and sub-optimally treated patients with mental disorders at the PHC level are common critical issues. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at PHCCs in Al-Khobar and Dammam Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. We aimed to indicate the extent of knowledge and attitude Regarding the Management of Mental Health problems among family physicians in PHC by applying a self-administrated questionnaire. Results: There were 227 respondents, over half of them (51.5%) were females and with a mean age of (35±8.77). The vast majority of them (93.8%) have received training in mental disorders in post-graduate programs and they reported that the mean score of the average number of suspected patients with mental illness seen by them was (4.71±2.62). Conclusion: Primary healthcare physicians in this region of Saudi Arabia have relatively good knowledge about mental health problems, whereas poorer knowledge was assessed regarding the management of these conditions was poor. Their attitudes towards mental conditions were notably negative, particularly concerning the confidence in their skills in diagnosing and treating patients with mental illnesses. The majority of them reported the need for continuing training to support their knowledge and practice towards psychiatric disorders