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Objectives: To assess the beliefs of pharmacists about the helpfulness of interventions for schizophrenia and depression.

Methods: A survey instrument containing a measure of mental health literacy was mailed to a random sample of 2000 pharmacists registered with the Pharmacy Board of New South Wales in November 2009. Vignettes of a person with either depression or psychosis were presented, followed by questions related to the recognition of the disorder, the helpfulness of various interventions, prognosis with and without professional help, the person's long-term functioning in various social roles and the likelihood of the person being discriminated against.

Results: A total of 391 responses were received (response rate 19.5%). The majority of pharmacists correctly identified depression (92%) with fewer recognizing schizophrenia (79%). Pharmacists rated medicine use highly for both schizophrenia and …