Objective: This is a descriptive study designed to evaluate nurses' attitudes toward persons with mental disorders.

Methods: The research project was carried out from September 1999 to January 2000 at the Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa and Istanbul Medical Faculty Hospitals, at the Ministry of Health Bak ırköy Mental and Nervous Diseases Hospital and at the Gureba Foundation Teaching Hospital. Nurses who worked the day shift and agreed to participate were chosen randomly for inclusion in the study, 222 of the 440 nurses in the Study worked in psychiatric settings. 97 of the non- psychiatric nurses worked in an internal medicine unit; 12Iworked in a surgical unit.

For data collection, forms prepared by the researcher whith assistance from the literature were used, including a Pre- İnterview Form, an Opinions About Mental Illess Scale (OM1) and a form that allowed the subjects to express their views on treatment and counseling options and probability of recovery. Research data was evaluated statistically on the computer using SPSS programme.

Results: Research findings showed that the mean scores of psychiatric nurses in the categories of Authoritarianism and Mental Health Idealogy and Interpersonal Etiology were lower than the scores of the non-psychiatric nurses. Their scores in the sub-group categories of Benevolence and Social Restrictiveness subgroups were higher than those of their non-psychiatric nurse peers.

Conclusion: In conclusion, psychiatric nurses were found to have more positive opinions, behaviors and attitudes toward mental illness and mentally-ill patients than their non-psychiatric nurse peers.