Factors contributing to difficulty with psychiatric disorder among junior medical staff

Objective: This study examines the attitudes and difficulties that junior medical staff, working in the emergency department of a teaching hospital, have in relation to psychiatric disorders. Method: Systematic textual analysis of nine in-depth interviews. Results: Three major categories identified were emotional difficulty with patient interaction, uncertainty and pessimism. Conclusion: Those doctors able to self reflect and adjust their level of emotional distance appropriately had less emotional difficulty interacting with psychiatric patients. They were also more comfortable in dealing with the issue of uncertainty associated with psychiatric disorder. There was a worrying level of pessimism regarding prognosis in psychiatric disorder.