The mental health literacy of British community pharmacists

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the mental health literacy (MHL) of British community pharmacists. Design/methodology/approach A survey instrument was sent by facsimile to a random sample of community pharmacists in England, Scotland and Wales. The survey instrument contained items concerning recognition of the symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, the helpfulness of a range of interventions, mental health stigma and the degree of comfort providing pharmaceutical care to people with mental health problems. Findings Among community pharmacists (n=329) symptom recognition was high for depression but lower for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Pharmacists showed a preference for evidence-based interventions and support for psychological therapies and physical activity for all three mental health problems. Pharmacists expressed less comfort providing pharmacy services to people with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression than cardiovascular disease. Mental health stigma was higher for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder than depression, with many pharmacists holding misperceptions about schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Practical implications The study findings indicate the need for enhanced mental health content in the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum which should challenge misperceptions of mental illness. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate the MHL of British community pharmacists.

Mental health symptoms and their associated factors among pharmacists in psychiatric hospitals during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Pharmacists in psychiatric hospitals with a sense of professional identity may more identify and accept their professional work in psychiatry, which could promote greater motivation to work. In addition to the pathophysiology and treatment of mental illness, social aspects of mental health and stigma should be included in pharmacy education (Morral & Morral, 2017). Pharmacists may be undervalued and underappreciated by the public due to social biases.…”

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“…For the existing pharmacy workforce, knowledge and confidence about treatments for SMI have been identified as barriers for involvement in supporting service users [ 60 , 73 – 75 ]. With the change in the UK for newly qualified pharmacists becoming prescribers at registration from 2026, additional training and exposure to people with SMIs is needed to ensure newly qualified pharmacists can appropriately support this population.…”

“…With the change in the UK for newly qualified pharmacists becoming prescribers at registration from 2026, additional training and exposure to people with SMIs is needed to ensure newly qualified pharmacists can appropriately support this population. Additionally, organisational barriers to pharmacist involvement in supporting service users with SMIs include lack of time and problems with information sharing between healthcare settings [ 71 , 73 ].…”

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