PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE TOWARD DEPRESSION AND SCHIZOPHRENIA: FINDINGS FROM QUANTITATIVE STUDY IN UAE

Objective: The purpose of the current study to assess current attitude and knowledge of UAE population toward mental disorders, and to determine the stigma status of people with schizophrenia and depression.Methods: A represented sample of 430 participants was enrolled in the study. A descriptive qualitative survey was the study tool. The developed questionnaire was designed to be interview-administrated SPSS 24 used in data analysis. A correlation analysis was performed to test association. One-way ANOVA and independent t-test were applied to determine which factors might affect the knowledge and attitude score. p<0.05 was considered significant.Results: The study findings revealed a high level of stigma among UAE population toward people with schizophrenia and depression. 62% (266) had negative attitude score while 38.1% (164) had positive attitude score. 67% of the participants believe that people with schizophrenia and depression are dangerous. 80% (343) had a good knowledge score while 20.2% (87) had poor knowledge score.Conclusion: The negative attitude confirms the importance of increasing mental health literacy. These findings highlight the need to implement national mental health policy to educate the public and reduce the stigma of mental disorders