Context: The National Mental Health Survey 2015-16 found that 140 million Indians suffer from mental illnesses, but 70% (100 million) of them do not receive treatment due to the prevailing stigma. Raising awareness about mental illness could alleviate this stigma and contribute to improved mental healthcare. Aim: To assess the relationship between mental health awareness and stigma among medical students. Settings and Design: Cross-sectional study at Tertiary Care Centre of north India. Methods and Material: We surveyed medical students using Google Forms, employing a simple random sampling technique. The 188 participants were categorized into two groups: 1st and 2nd-year MBBS students and the other comprising 3rd-year, 4th-year, and intern students, based on their exposure to psychiatry as a subject in the MBBS curriculum. We utilized the Mental Illness: Clinicians’ Attitudes (MICA) and Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ) to evaluate their attitudes and knowledge concerning mental illness. Statistical analysis used: Chi-Square test, Pearson correlation, and log regression were used to measure the association between variables. Results: Group 1 comprised of 96 participants, including third-, fourth-, and final-year students as well as interns. Group 2, which included first- and second-year students, had 92 participants. The findings indicate that there are statistically significant differences between the less advanced students (first and second year) and the more advanced students (third, fourth, final, and interns) in terms of both clinical attitudes toward mental illness and mental health knowledge. Compared to the less advanced students, group 2, the more advanced students, or group 1, typically had lower clinical attitudes regarding mental disease but higher Knowledge of mental health. According to regression analysis, the negative coefficient for “Years of MBBS” implies that there is a statistically significant decline in stigma towards mental illness as the number of years of medical school (MBBS) grows. Conclusions: Medical students with better knowledge of mental health & illness, experienced less stigma associated with mental illness.
