Objective: To determine the attitudes and behaviors of psychiatrists and psychiatry residents towards pharmaceutical representatives and their promotional activities, and to evaluate the effect of the duration of residency and type of the training institution on these attitudes and behaviors.

Method: A validated questionnaire for assessing the attitudes and behaviors of physicians towards the pharmaceutical industry was administered to psychiatrists and psychiatry residents at regional meetings. Of the 1973 participants, 348 responded.

Results: Although there was significant interaction between psychiatrists and pharmaceutical representatives, 50.7% of psychiatrists reported that they thought these interactions had no impact on their prescribing practices. First- and second-year residents agreed more than the other residents and the specialist that pharmaceutical representatives provided accurate information and had no effect on physician prescribing practices. First- and second-years residents agreed less than older residents that pharmaceutical representatives used marketing techniques. The psychiatrists regarded most of the pharmaceutical promotions as appropriate. State hospital staff agreed more than the university hospital staff that the pharmaceutical industry should support educational meetings in their institutions.

Conclusion: There was intense interaction ¾characterized by undefined boundaries ¾between psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry. Most physicians were not provided any guidelines concerning their interactions with pharmaceutical representatives and there was general concern about the necessity of restricting these interactions.