Attitudes of Community-Leading Occupational Groups Towards Mental Illnesses: The Sample of a City in Western Turkey

This descriptive study aims to determine attitudes of community-leading occupational groups towards mental illnesses. The sample of this descriptive study consisted of a total of 1100 participants from clergymen, headmen, teachers, policemen and primary healthcare professionals working in Düzce, Turkey. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form and the Beliefs Toward Mental Illness Scale-BTMIS. Occupational groups were determined to have moderate beliefs about mental diseases according to their BTMIS scale total scores. The occupational groups that had most negative beliefs toward mental illnesses were headmen, police officers, teachers, healthcare professionals and clergymen, respectively. Data were evaluated using descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, and percentage. Community-leading occupational groups should be actively involved in anti-stigma activities to change quickly and effectively community attitudes towards mental illnesses.