[Background] In order to examine the clinical attitudes of psychiatrists from the viewpoint of patients and families, we conducted a survey using a self-reported questionnaire.
 ［Methods］ A total of 18,000 anonymous, self-administered questionnaires were mailed to cooperative groups for patients and their families throughout Japan.
 [Results] We received 6,341 responses, and targeted the responding 6,202 individuals (2,683 patients and 3,519 family members) for analysis.
 Examination of basic attributes revealed that in terms of age, many patients were in their 30s or 40s and many family members were in their 60s or 70s. By gender, males accounted for 52.0% of patients and 24.4% of family members. Looking at lifestyle status, 71.9% of patients lived with their family. In terms of treatment status, approximately 50% had been treated by four or more different attending physicians. The most common reasons for changing the attending physician were factors related to the physicians themselves such as being transferred to another hospital. Common facilities for outpatient care/hospitalization were psychiatric hospitals and clinics, and the most common diagnosis was schizophrenia (71.6%).
 The top criterion for physician selection by both patients and family members was "ability to appropriately prescribe medicine (patients: 65.4%, family members: 71.0%)," followed by personality, communication skills, and ability to take action.
 On evaluation of attitudes during medical examinations according to the patients themselves, the top reasons for feelings of satisfaction included "having a clean appearance," and "looking me directly in the eyes when speaking," whereas the top reasons for feelings of dissatisfaction included "feeling like the physician was trying to cut the examination short." Overall, families tended to be more "dissatisfied" than the patients.
 On evaluation of communications skills, the top reasons for feelings of satisfaction included "being respectful and trustworthy" and "listening carefully to what I have to say," whereas the top reasons for feelings of dissatisfaction included "not telling me the responsive measures during an emergency" and "not being handled appropriately or being treated cordially." More than 50% of patients and their families responded with "medical examinations that center on the values of the actual patient themselves" as the reason why they were likely to favorably evaluate the psychiatrist.
 [Conclusion] The first large-scale survey conducted on this topic in Japan clarified the subjective assessments of patients and their family members regarding the clinical attitudes and communication ability of psychiatrists, which are considered to be important for improving patient recovery. We believe that these findings can serve as a reference for future medical care.
 <Authors' abstract>