Consumer-led Mental Health Education for Pharmacy Students

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate a consumer-led teaching intervention to reduce pharmacy students' stigma towards depression and schizophrenia, and improve attitudes toward providing pharmaceutical care for consumers with mental illness. Design. Third-year bachelor of pharmacy degree students were given a series of mental health lectures, undertook supervised weekly placements in the community pharmacy setting, and attended a tutorial led by trained mental health consumer educators. Assessment. A previously validated 26-item survey instrument was administered at baseline, 6 weeks postintervention, and 12 months postintervention, and 3 focus groups were conducted. Survey instruments were completed by 225 students at baseline, 230 students postintervention, and 228 students at 12 months. Students' stigma decreased (p , 0.05) and their attitudes toward the provision of pharmaceutical services to consumers with a mental illness showed significant improvements (p , 0.05). These improvements were maintained at the 12-month follow-up. Four themes emerged from the focus groups: knowledge and experience of mental illness, mental health stigma, impacts on attitudes and self-reported behavior, and the role of the pharmacist in mental healthcare. Conclusions. Consumer-led education for pharmacy students may provide a sustainable reduction in stigma and improve attitudes towards providing pharmaceutical services to consumers with a mental illness.

Impact of a Mental Illness Stigma Awareness Intervention on Pharmacy Student Attitudes and Knowledge

“…Thus, the impact of the intervention can not be extrapolated to a longer follow up period. Although intervention effects in pharmacy students can last for up to 12 months, 23 more research is needed to determine longitudinal impact. Additionally, social desirability may have been present because of the self-report and sensitive nature of the study.…”

“…12,17 In pharmacy, a limited body of research highlights the benefit of training programs for reducing social distance and improving attitudes about mental illness, which, in turn, increases counseling frequency and enhances the quality of care provided to patients living with mental illness. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Pharmacy students report higher levels of stigmatization than pharmacists regarding schizophrenia. 24,26,27 Because pharmacy students are the next generation of pharmacists, it is important to examine their perceptions regarding stigma towards patients with mental illness.…”

A Depression Training Session With Consumer Educators to Reduce Stigmatizing Views and Improve Pharmacists’ Depression Care Attitudes and Practices

“…23,25 Meanwhile, several studies demonstrated that using consumer educators for pharmacy students reduced mental health stigma, 17,26 improved attitudes, and increased students' self-reported sense of empathy toward people with schizophrenia and depression, even on a long-term basis. 22 However, these studies have reported the impact of consumer educators only in undergraduate training. To our knowledge, there is no published research on the impact of consumer educators in continuing education and in the daily practice of experienced pharmacists.…”

“…21 A consumer educator in mental health care is defined in the literature as a person who has previously received mental health care and works, often on a voluntary basis, to inform and educate professionals, students, and the wider community on mental illness and its effects on individuals, families, and society. 22,23 The use of mental health consumers as educators has been well received in nursing and medical education, especially in Australia. 24 A study demonstrating the potential value of consumer educators in the education of community pharmacists stated that use of consumer educators should be considered as a strategy for improving the confidence and communication skills of community pharmacists in providing pharmaceutical care for people with mental illnesses such as depression.…”

Stigma and Empathy: Sex Workers as Educators of Medical Students

“…Most of these reports evaluated impact of "interventions" such as clerkship in psychiatry or specialized courses. Several studies by O'Reilly and colleagues (e.g., [15,16]) examined yet another way to address reducing the stigma of mental illness mostly among pharmacy students-providing the students the opportunity to have contact with consumers with a mental illness in a safe educational setting. They reported that such contact led to decreases in stigma.…”