To trust or not to trust? Faith issues in psychopharmacological prescribing

AIMS AND METHOD To ascertain attitudes, awareness, knowledge and variations in prescribing habits of psychiatrists when addressing issues of faith, culture and dietary requirements (in keeping with the General Medical Council's and the Royal College of Psychiatrists'guidelines), and how these may affect the trust in doctor-patient relations. We undertook a cross-sectional postal survey aimed at clinicians in South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust. RESULTS We obtained 38 responses (40% of the total number of questionnaires sent out) from two mailshots. Although the majority of respondents indicated that they were aware of the presence of potentially forbidden animal-derived ingredients in medication, only half expressed the view that a discussion regarding the above should take place prior to prescribing such medication. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Diversity training combined with taking a genuine interest in patients' wishes will not only minimise 'mistrust' but also facilitate prescribing in a therapeutic relationship.