TRIBAL AND NON TRIBAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS MENTAL ILLNESS

ABSTRACT

Background: The mentally ill are often blamed for bringing on their own illness, whereas others may see mentally ill people as victims of unfortunate fate, religious and moral transgression, or even witchcraft. The belief that mental illness is incurable can also be damaging, preventing patients from being referred for appropriate mental health care. Aims: The present study aimed to find out attitudes towards mental illness among tribal and non-tribal population: a comparative study. Materials and methods: The study was a cross sectional carried out in out-patient department of Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry & Allied Sciences (RINPAS) Kanke, Ranchi . A total of 200 participants (100 tribal and 100 non -tribal participants) were purposively recruited for the present study and applied adapted version of Opinion about Mental Illness Scale. The sample comprised of both male and females in the age range of 20-50 years and educated minimum of primary level. Results & Conclusion: overall there was no significant level of difference revealed among tribal without mental ill patient and non tribal without mental ill patient with regards to attitude towards mental illness. Knowledge of mental illness among the general public was quite poor and suggests the need for strong emphasis on public education to increase mental health literacy among general public to increase awareness and positive attitude of people towards mental illness.