Abstract
Depression is a common mental illness that has a profound impact on an estimated
number of 300 million people worldwide. Depression is stigmatised in communities
and even physicians, especially, non-psychiatric physicians, which affects
depressed patients’ care. This study aims to investigate non-psychiatric
physicians’ attitudes towards depression in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study
surveyed 380 participants using Revised Depression Attitude Questionnaire.
Non-psychiatric physicians in Riyadh are optimistic and have a positive
perspective towards depression. Yet, the majority preferred dealing with
physical rather than mental illness. Understanding the attitudes of medical
practitioners is important to shape service delivery and assess training
needs.