KNOWLEDGE,
TRAINING AND ATTITUDES OF PSYCHIATRISTS
TOWARDS
INDIVIDUALS WITH DUAL DIAGNOSIS OF
INTELLECTUAL
DISABILITY AND MENTAL ILLNESS
S.
Werner1, M. Stawski2, I. Levav3, Y. Polakiewicz4
1
Hebrew University of Jerusalem ,
Israel ; 2
Schneider Children's Medical Center
in
Israel ; 3
Ministry of Health , Israel
Background: According
to the Israel Ministry of Health and the UN
Convention of the
Rights of Individuals with Disabilities, individuals
with dual diagnosis
of intellectual disability and mental illness (DD) are
entitled to the
same services as other individuals. Negative attitudes
held by
psychiatrists and lack of training may lead to inadequate care.
The aims of the
study, granted by the Israel National Institute for
Health Policy
Research, were to examine psychiatrists' training,
knowledge and
attitudes towards the treatment of these individuals.
Methods:
Psychiatrists (N=253) from hospitals and clinics completed a
self-administered
questionnaire including: demographic and
occupational
background, knowledge of the treatment of individuals
with DD, and
treatment related attitudes. Results: Overall, 90.3% of
psychiatrists
reported that they did not receive specific training in
treating
individuals with DD. Only 42.6% believed their training
equipped them to
treat individuals with DD and 82.4% stated that lack
of knowledge is the
reason for the lack of adequate mental health
services to
individuals with DD. Psychiatrists with fewer years of
experience and
those working with children and adolescents held
more positive
attitudes towards individuals with DD than psychiatrists
with more years of
experience or those working with adults. Finally,
59.6% of the
psychiatrists reported that they preferred to treat other
patients.
Conclusion: The findings stress the importance of
knowledge, prior
acquaintance and attitudes as integral components
in providing
adequate mental health services for individuals with DD.
We recommend the
development of advanced training options for
psychiatrists of
all different rankings and work settings.
No comments:
Post a Comment