Pharmacy students' and graduates' attitudes towards people with schizophrenia and severe depression

Objectives. To compare the attitudes of third-year pharmacy students and pharmacy graduates towards people with schizophrenia and severe depression. Methods. Third-year pharmacy students (n = 216) and pharmacy graduates (n = 232) completed a survey instrument with 21 common items. The third-year students had not yet received any mental health lectures or tutorials as part of their pharmacy course. The graduates had completed their university education, including mental health lectures and tutorials, plus 6 months of supervised clinical practice in the pharmacy workplace. Results. There were no significant differences between the third-year students and pharmacy graduates in terms of social distance from people with schizophrenia. The rates of stigmatization of people with schizophrenia and severe depression were also similar between the groups. Conclusions. Mental health lectures and tutorials delivered by pharmacists and supervised clinical practice in the pharmacy workplace may not decrease students' social distance or stigmatization of people with mental illness. The results of our study suggest that more comprehensive education and training programs are needed to improve the ability of pharmacists to meet the needs of people with mental illness.