Mental health workers ’ attitudes toward mental illness in Fiji

Results The participants expressed both positive and negative attitudes toward individuals in mental health care. Positive attitudes can be identified in a range of answers to questions including psychosocial causational beliefs and when comparisons were made with physical health issues. Negative attitudes were expressed with respect to alcohol abuse and lack of self control, individuals with mental illness lacking control over their emotions, psychotropic medications being used to control disruptive behaviour, and that mental illness is caused by genetic factors. A number of questions provided mixed responses.