A Cross-Sectional Study of Socio-Demographic and Illness Factors Affecting the Pathway to Psychiatric Care
Creators
- 1. Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru
- 2. Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam
- 3. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam
- 4. Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam
Description
Introduction: There is a significant treatment gap for Psychiatric disorders and some of the reasons being lack of knowledge about psychiatric illness as well as its treatment, stigma and misconception that mental illness was due to supernatural causes. The reasons for a significant delay in consulting a psychiatrist can be understood by studying the pathway to psychiatric care. This study was aimed to assess the relationship between socio-demographic and illness variables with the first care provider and to assess the perception of care givers in help seeking behavior. Methods: This cross-sectional, hospital-based study involving a total of 367 patients who had been newly registered in Government Hospital for Mental Care, Visakhapatnam was conducted using a convenient sampling method. Semi-structured proforma containing socio-demographic and illness variables, World health Organization (WHO) encounter form and care givers perception of mental illness proforma were used for data collection. Results: In this study, it was found that subjects who were female, belonging to a rural background and low socio-economic status, having less than 10 years of education, diagnosed with a major mental illness, residing at a distance of more than 150 kms from the hospital approached traditional healers first when compared to their counter parts. Those who had visited traditional healers in their initial consultation had more mean duration of untreated illness and high mean number of consultations. Conclusion: The pathway to care might vary based on regional and socio-cultural factors. The current study highlights the necessity for community education programmes about identification of psychiatric disorders as well as the sufficient training of non-psychiatric health care workers regarding the symptomatology of psychiatric disorders so that the patient could receive a psychiatric referral as early as possible.
Abstract (English)
Introduction: There is a significant treatment gap for Psychiatric disorders and some of the reasons being lack of knowledge about psychiatric illness as well as its treatment, stigma and misconception that mental illness was due to supernatural causes. The reasons for a significant delay in consulting a psychiatrist can be understood by studying the pathway to psychiatric care. This study was aimed to assess the relationship between socio-demographic and illness variables with the first care provider and to assess the perception of care givers in help seeking behavior. Methods: This cross-sectional, hospital-based study involving a total of 367 patients who had been newly registered in Government Hospital for Mental Care, Visakhapatnam was conducted using a convenient sampling method. Semi-structured proforma containing socio-demographic and illness variables, World health Organization (WHO) encounter form and care givers perception of mental illness proforma were used for data collection. Results: In this study, it was found that subjects who were female, belonging to a rural background and low socio-economic status, having less than 10 years of education, diagnosed with a major mental illness, residing at a distance of more than 150 kms from the hospital approached traditional healers first when compared to their counter parts. Those who had visited traditional healers in their initial consultation had more mean duration of untreated illness and high mean number of consultations. Conclusion: The pathway to care might vary based on regional and socio-cultural factors. The current study highlights the necessity for community education programmes about identification of psychiatric disorders as well as the sufficient training of non-psychiatric health care workers regarding the symptomatology of psychiatric disorders so that the patient could receive a psychiatric referral as early as possible.
Files
IJPCR,Vol16,Issue2,Article143.pdf
Files
(433.6 kB)
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:0c418b251248765ed6098ff0d025c623
|
433.6 kB | Preview Download |
Additional details
Dates
- Accepted
-
2024-01-26
Software
- Repository URL
- https://impactfactor.org/PDF/IJPCR/16/IJPCR,Vol16,Issue2,Article143.pdf
- Development Status
- Active
References
- 1. Murthy R. National mental health survey of India 2015–2016. Indian Journal of Psychiatry [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2022 Dec 15]; 59(1):21. 2. Prevalence, Severity, and Unmet Need for Treatment of Mental Disorders in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. JAMA [Internet]. 2004 Jun 2 [cited 2022 Dec 16]; 291(21):2581. 3. Gururaj G, Varghese M, Benegal V, Rao GN, Pathak K, Singh LK, Mehta RY, Ram D, Shibukumar TM, Kokane AL, Singh RK. and NMHS collaborators group (2016) National Mental Health Survey of India, 2015–16: prevalence, patterns and outcomes. Bengaluru, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, NIMHANS Publication. 2016(129). 4. World Health Organization (1987). Pathways of patients with mental disorders: A multicenter collaborative project Geneva, Switzerland http://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/61855 5. Kataria D, Jiloha R, Bhatia M, Sharma S. A study of treatment-seeking behavior in psychiatric patients at a tertiary care hospital in Delhi. Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Dec 8]; 23(1):33. 6. Mutalik NR. Pathways to Psychiatric Care: A Hospital Based Study. Journal of Medical Science And clinical Research [Internet]. 2017 Apr 19 [cited 2022 Dec 8]; 05(04):20585-90. 7. Jilani AQ, Saha R, Dalal PK, Kallivayalil RA, Tiwari A, Kar SK. The impact of awareness of psychotic disorder on pathways to psychiatric care for first episode psychosis in India. International Journal of Culture and Mental Health [Internet]. 2017 Sep 19 [cited 2022 Dec 8];11(3):295-310. 8. Jain N, Gautam S, Jain S, Gupta ID, Batra L, Sharma R, Singh H. Pathway to psychiatric care in a tertiary mental health facility in Jaipur, India. Asian Journal of Psychiatry [Internet]. 2012 Dec [cited 2022 Dec 11];5(4):303-8. 9. Bhui K, Ullrich S, Coid JW. Which pathways to psychiatric care lead to earlier treatment and a shorter duration of first-episode psychosis? BMC Psychiatry [Internet]. 2014 Mar 12 [cited 2022 Dec 8];14(1). 10. Teshager S, Kerebih H, Hailesilassie H, Abera M. Pathways to psychiatric care and factors associated with delayed help-seeking among patients with mental illness in Northern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open [Internet]. 2020 Jul [cited 2022 Dec8]; 10(7):e033928. 11. Gupta D, Sidana R, Behari M, Verma K, Bhadoriya M. Help-seeking behavior and pathways to care among patients seeking treatment at a private psychiatric hospital in North India. Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Dec 8]; 23(1):63. 12. Chinnakali P, Khemani M, Premarajan K, Menon V, Olickal J, Vijayageetha M. Pathways to care among patients with severe mental disorders attending a tertiary health-care facility in Puducherry, South India. Indian Journal of Psychiatry [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2022 Dec 11]; 62(6):664. 13. Kar N. Resort to faith-healing practices in the pathway to care for mental illness: a study on psychiatric inpatients in Orissa. Mental Health, Religion & Culture [Internet]. 2008 Nov [cited 2022 Dec 11]; 11(7):720-40. 14. Chadda RK, Agarwal V, Singh MC, Raheja D. Help Seeking Behaviour of Psychiatric Patients Before Seeking Care at a Mental Hospital. International Journal of Social Psychiatry [Internet]. 2001 Dec [cited 2022 Dec 11]; 47(4):71-8. 15. Kurihara T, Kato M, Reverger R, Tirta IG. Pathway to psychiatric care in Bali. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences [Internet]. 2006 Apr [cited 2022 Dec 8];60(2):204-10. 16. Nuri NN, Sarker M, Ahmed HU, Hossain MD, Beiersmann C, Jahn A. Pathways to care of patients with mental health problems in Bangladesh. International Journal of Mental Health Systems [Internet]. 2018 Jul 18 [cited 2022 Dec 8]; 12(1). 17. Lamichhane N, Thapa D, Timilsina R, Sharma R, Vaidya L, Subedi A. Pathway to Care of Psychiatric Services in Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital in Western Nepal. Journal of Gandaki Medical College-Nepal [Internet]. 2019 Dec 31 [cited 2022 Dec 8];12(2):80-5. 18. Jeyagurunathan A, Abdin E, Shafie S, Wang P, Chang S, Ong HL, Abdul Rahman RF, Sagayadevan V, Samari E, Chua YC, Vaingankar JA, Verma SK, Wei KC, Chong SA, Subramaniam M. Pathways to care among psychiatric outpatients in a tertiary mental health institution in Singapore. International Journal of Social Psychiatry [Internet]. 2018 Jun 27 [cited 2022 Dec 8]; 64(6):554-62. 19. Joju S, Thilakan P, Mani M, Simiyon M. How Lengthy and Tortuous is the Pathway to Psychiatric Care among Patients Visiting a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India? A Crosssectional Study. Indian Journal of Private Psychiatry [Internet]. 2022 Mar 16 [cited 2022 Dec 11]; 16(1):3-9. 20. Grover S, Patra BN, Aggarwal M, Avasthi A, Chakrabarti S, Malhotra S. Relationship of supernatural beliefs and first treatment contact in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder: An exploratory study from India. International Journal of Social Psychiatry [Internet]. 2014 Mar 24 [cited 2022 Dec 8]; 60(8):818-27. 21. Lahariya C, Singhal S, Gupta S, Mishra A. Pathway of care among psychiatric patients attending a mental health institution in central India. Indian Journal of Psychiatry [Internet]. 2010 [cited 2022 Dec 11]; 52(4):333. 22. Kauye F, Udedi M, Mafuta C. Pathway to care for psychiatric patients in a developing country: Malawi. International Journal of Social Psychiatry [Internet]. 2014 Jun 4 [cited 2022 Dec 8]; 61(2):121-8. 23. Shah DP, Mehta DR, Dave DK. Pathways to Psychiatric Care – A Study from Tertiary Level General Hospital of Western India. Indian Journal of Applied Research [Internet]. 2011 Oct 1 [cited 2022 Dec 11]; 4(1):411-4. 24. Srinivasa Rao SS, Sreevaram DM, Kumar MV. A study of pathway of care among persons with mental illness attending a tertiary care centre in Hyderabad. Telangana Journal of Psychiatry [Internet]. 2021 Feb 15 [cited 2022 Dec 13]; 6(2):137-42. 25. Goyal S, Sudhir PM, Sharma MP. Pathways to mental health consultations: A study from a tertiary care setting in India. International Journal of Social Psychiatry [Internet]. 2021 Mar 31 [cited 2022 Dec 11]: 002076402110039. 26. Faizan S, Raveesh B, Ravindra L, Sharath K. Pathways to psychiatric care in South India and their socio-demographic and attitudinal correlates. BMC Proceedings [Internet]. 2012 Jul [cited 2022 Dec 8]; 6(S4). 27. Trivedi J, Jilani A. Pathway of psychiatric care. Indian Journal of Psychiatry [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2022 Dec 8]; 53(2):97.