by Jeffrey J. Rakofsky, M.D.; Mary Blazek, M.D. | April 30, 2024 Article Citation: Smith AC, Opperman MJ, McCann JP, Jivens MP, Giust J, Wetherill L, Plawecki MH. Evaluation of US Medical Student Bias Toward Mental Health Before and After First-Year Pre-Clinical Psychiatry Education. Acad Psych 2023; 47:653-658. DOI: 10.1007/s40596-023-01829-y What is this article about? In this article, the authors aimed to determine if the Indiana University pre-clinical psychiatry course could decrease medical students’ bias towards people with psychiatric illness and the field of psychiatry. Although many studies have explored the impact of the clerkship on medical student perceptions of psychiatry, this is the first study of preclinical medical student perceptions. The Mental Illness: Clinician’s Attitudes version 2 (MICA-2) survey was sent to students before and after completing the 13-hour pre-clinical psychiatry course and assessed students’ agreement with statements regarding people with mental illness and the psychiatric profession. The response rate was 32% and the results demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in bias scores of 2.92 points overall. Following completion of the course, 74% of the responses were less biased, while 22% were more biased, and 4% were neutral. Those with the highest bias scores prior to the course had the greatest reduction in score after the completion of the course. Why should you read the article? Most medical students will enter non-psychiatric specialties but will undoubtedly encounter and care for patients who have psychiatric illness. Reduced bias towards psychiatric illness and psychiatric patients leads to better outcomes. It is reassuring to know that a pre-clinical course can reduce bias for a majority of respondents, though it increases it for a sizable minority. How can you use this article? This article can be used to justify more classroom time and clinical exposure to psychiatrists and to people with mental illness in the preclinical curriculum. This can also inspire additional studies examining the mechanisms of bias-reduction and bias-increase following a pre-clinical psychiatry course. Those elements can then be used to strengthen efforts to reduce bias among patients with mental illness and to address stigma associated with non-psychiatric illnesses as well. Review Author: Jeffrey J. Rakofsky, M.D.; Director of Medical Student Education/Clerkship Director and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Mary Blazek, M.D. co-authored this review. Organization: Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in PsychiatryFirst Year Pre-Clinical Psychiatry Education Can Decrease Bias Towards Mental Health