Stigma towards the mentally ill: a proposal for the medical formation of the 21^st century

Resumos

Medical literature has shown that significant portions of the general population, including healthcare professionals, have a highly stigmatized view of mentally ill patients, which can lead to low quality health care and difficult access to treatment. To address this issue, we evaluated the mental health syllabus of a private medical school located in the capital city of a Southeastern Brazil State. That syllabus was conceived based on active educational methodology and in partnership with the local public mental health system, where all the practical academic activities took place. We conclude that the suggested model decreased stigmatization of the mentally ill among medical students and was positively evaluated by them. To achieve that goal, educational strategies had to be included that promote direct interaction of students with mentally ill patients and the beginning of medical school seems to be the right moment to offer this type of activity. This experience also showed that an efficient collaboration between the university and the Brazilian public health system may promote positive changes in mental health training of future Brazilian physicians.

Key words:
Social stigma; medical education; mental disorders