Attitudes toward utility, effects and side effects of treatment for anxiety and depression

Objectives:Negative perceptions about psychiatric treatment are likely to affect treatment adherence. We compared attitudes of patients with psychiatric illness and those of medical patients towards psychiatric treatment.Methods:Both patients with psychiatric illness and medical patients (controls) were shown a printed copy of two vignettes depicting major depression and generalized anxiety disorder. They were asked for their perceptions on the utility, effects and possible side effects of psychiatric medications, as well as the utility of psychotherapy in treating major depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Responses between psychiatric patients and medical patients were compared using appropriate statistical tests, including logistic regression.Results:Patients with psychiatric illness were more likely than medical patients to endorse the utility of medications in treating major depression and generalized anxiety disorder (p<0.001). Those with psychiatric illness were more likely to endorse the u...