THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS DEPRESSION AMONG PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PHYSICIANS IN DAMMAM AND ALKHOBAR AREAS, EASTERN PROVINCE, SAUDI ARABIA

Diagnostic studies revealed that primary care physicians or family physicians either over- or underdiagnose depressive disorders. Many attempts have been made to train or educate physicians to improve identification and diagnosis of depression. However, the outcomes were disappointing. The problem of diagnosing depression diagnosis may not just be a result of knowledge gap or inadequate clinical skills in the primary care physicians but also due to the doctors’ attitude. There is evidence that GP’s who complete mental health training have more positive attitudes towards depressed patients and higher levels of confidence in diagnosing common mental disorders, and a successful screening program in primary healthcare can be a cost-effective strategy for early detection of depression because it is the first line of contact between health system and the people. This study aimed to explore the attitude of PHC (Primary Health Care) physicians in Dammam and AL Khobar area, Saudi Arabia towards depression using the Revised Depression Attitude Questionnaire (R-DAQ). This cross-sectional survey was conducted on all PHC centers in AL Khobar and Dammam regions. The study population included all medical practitioners working in the PHC clinics of the Ministry of Health, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data was collected between July 01, 2019 to October 01, 2019. Demographic data collected included gender, age, marital status, nationality, job title, previous mental health training, personal history of depression and family history. Attitude to depression was assessed using the 22 item Revised Depression Attitude Questionnaire (R-DAQ). Results: Of the 197 (89%) responders 35.5% were male, 64.5% female. The majority were aged 30-40 years with 7.1% over 50 years old. 83% of participants were Saudi, 87.1% were married, 43.4% were GP’s, 3.1% were consultants and 55% reported no previous training in mental health. 1% of participants reported a previous history of depression and 5% reported a family history of depression.