To investigate mental health literacy (MHL) of community medical staffs in district and town of Zhongshan city, and to provide data to improve MHL of community medical staffs.

Totally 352 medical staffs who were not psychiatric physician and 81 psychiatric physician were selected. The Chinese Mental Health Knowledge Awareness Questionnaire (published by Ministry of Health) was used to investigate the awareness rate of mental health knowledge. Five vignettes of two schizophrenia, one bipolar disorder, one depression and one obsessive compulsive disorder, each with 8 related questions, were used to investigate the recognition and response ability.

The average awareness rate of the two groups was more than 80.0% (87.6%, 91.6%). For the item 2(75.6%, 88.6%), 6(74.1%, 62.6%), 19(36.5%, 65.6%), and 20(74.1%, 86.2%), the awareness rates were lower than 80.0%, and there were significant differences between the two groups (χ²=8.45, 4.92, 27.48, 6.99, all P<0.05). In vignettes survey, the correct rate was lower in the staffs who did not engaged in the mental health work than those in the other group, the difference was statistically significant(64.6% vs. 75.9%, P<0.001). For both of the two groups the correct rate of depression was the lowest(χ²=44.46, P<0.001). There was statistically significant difference between the total (χ²=141.17, P<0.001).

The awareness rate of mental health knowledge has reached the national standards for community medical staffs, but they have to improve for some knowledge point. Their recognition and response ability for mental illness should be improved.

Medical staff; Mental health