CONTEXT: Myths and stigma about suicide and mental health among doctors are widely prevalent in India. Didactic methods of teaching alone may not be adequate to bridge the knowledge gap.
METHODS: Fifty-seven MBBS students participated voluntarily by accepting an invitation. They were examined pre-intervention with the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) for their attitudes and beliefs about suicide. Students then underwent a custom-made extracurricular Suicide Sensitization and Prevention workshop. It consisted of a 120-min session that included a didactic session on the bio-psycho-social model of suicide and two role-plays demonstrating Suicide Prevention Early Intervention Communication (SPEIC). Students were examined again after seven days with SOQ, and with the SPEIC checklist.
RESULTS: Fifty students completed the study protocol. There was a 9.5% increase in SOQ scores post-intervention indicating a change toward positive attitudes/beliefs about suicide. The emotional perturbation subscale showed the highest degree of improvement, whereas the acceptability subscale showed the least improvement. Students were able to recall 40% and 60% from the Do-Checklist and the Do Not Checklist from the SPEIC after seven days from the workshop. There was no difference in SOQ performances pre- and post-intervention in students who knew someone with psychiatric illness, or with a history of an attempt or death by suicide.
CONCLUSION: Using role-plays and interactive teaching methods can be effective in teaching psychiatry and mental health issues to medical students. The results indicate not only better understanding of subject matter but also recall after a week from the intervention.