Pathways to care among psychiatric outpatients in a tertiary mental health institution in Singapore

Evidence of factors influencing delays in the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in adolescents and young adults. Protocol for a systematic scoping review

BACKGROUND

Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a complex psychiatric condition that typically manifests during late adolescence and early adulthood. Over the past two decades, international studies have reported that BD often goes unrecognized and untreated for several years, which can lead to negative clinical and functional outcomes. However, the components of delay in the diagnosis and treatment of BD and various factors influencing those components have not been systematically explored.

OBJECTIVES

The scoping review described in this protocol aims to map the existing literature on potential factors that influence delays in the treatment of BD in adolescents and young adults, in order to identify the knowledge gaps and future research and policy priorities.

METHODS

This protocol for a systematic scoping review will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline (PRISMA-ScR). We will search the electronic databases of MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL for peer-reviewed primary research articles published in academic journals. Grey literature will not be explored due to resource limitations. A conceptual framework based on the Model of Pathways to Treatment by Scott and colleagues was used as a foundation for our search and extraction strategy to ensure all components of delay and potential factors influencing each component are explored. Two independent reviewers will screen the references retrieved by the literature search and select relevant studies based on our inclusion criteria. The data from included studies will be synthesized into a narrative summary, and implications for future research, practice and policy will be discussed.

DISCUSSION

To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first scoping review to explore the potential factors that influence delays in the treatment of BD in adolescents and young adults. We intend to disseminate the review results through academic conferences and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Pathways to severe mental illness care: A retrospective study of patients seeking psychiatric care at Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS, Delhi

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Globally, very few patients with mental illness go to health care facilities to receive psychiatry treatment. This study aims to identify pathways used by patients with severe mental disorders who seek mental health care services in the psychiatry unit of AIIMS, New Delhi.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

It is a retrospective cross-sectional study with convenience sampling technique was used, and data were collected from 123 caregivers of patients with severe mental illnesses using standardized tools like MINI, BPRS, YMRS and WHO Encounter pathway.

RESULTS

The findings revealed that 41.5% of the patients made their first contact with the faith healers, 27.6% with AYUSH medical practitioners, 14.6% with psychiatrists and 12.2% with allopathic medical practitioners. About 26% of the patients reported hallucinations as the first symptom for seeking help. In the majority of cases (96.7%), the patient's relatives made the decision for the patient to seek treatment the first time to manage the symptoms. The psychotic symptoms (65.1%) helped the patient's relatives to take the decision for first seek. The mean delay for seeking treatment from psychiatrists was 13.31 ± 10.6 (months).

CONCLUSION

This study showed that a higher proportion of patients received treatment from the faith healer at the first seek, whereas only a few patients approached psychiatrist directly. Hence, there is an immense need to create awareness regarding mental illness and treatment options available.

Mapping the steps to reach psychiatric care in Singapore: An examination of services utilized and reasons for seeking help

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to shed light on the types of services utilized and map the steps taken by patients in their pathways to receiving psychiatric care in Singapore.

METHODS

Participants were outpatients who were recruited from a psychiatric tertiary hospital (n = 323). Pathways to psychiatric care form was administered to collect information on sources of care utilized, reasons for seeking help and the time point of each contact made. Pathways taken by patients to reach psychiatric care were mapped, and reasons for seeking help were reviewed and analyzed. Quantile regression was conducted to explore association between sociodemographic and clinical factors with duration between onset of problem and receiving psychiatric care.

RESULTS

The need to manage symptoms was most commonly endorsed by participants as the reason that first prompted them to seek help. Prior to receiving psychiatric care, participants on average obtained services from 1.2 other care providers and the main pathway to psychiatric services was via primary care and community services (37.2%). The median duration between onset of problem and receiving psychiatric care was 6 months, and age was found to be significantly associated with shorter median duration (β = -0.172, p = 0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients often consult different care providers prior to obtaining psychiatric services and contact was made more frequently via primary care and community care providers. Findings from this study reiterate the need for engaging community partners to render timely and relevant support for individuals with mental health issues.

The Influence of Mental Health Literacy, Migration, and Education on the Duration of Untreated Psychosis

Background: Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with outcome in psychotic disorders and influenced by contextual factors such as immigration. Here we aimed to investigate the effect of mental health literacy (MHL) on duration of untreated psychosis considering the influence of migration and education.

Methods: A total of 269 participants who received their first adequate medical treatment for a psychotic disorder within the current or past year were included to the Thematically Organized Psychosis study in Oslo, Norway. Sociodemographic and clinical information was collected through systematic interviews. MHL was measured as “recognition of psychotic symptoms” and assessed by “The Attitudes and Beliefs about Mental Health Problems” schizophrenia version. Influence of education, migration and MHL on DUP was analyzed with hierarchical block-wise multiple regression analysis.

Results: Recognition of psychotic symptoms explained a small but unique variance (2.3%) in DUP after the effects of other important predictors were controlled for. Longer DUP was also associated with less education, lower premorbid social, and academic functioning, a diagnosis within schizophrenia spectrum disorder, and earlier age of onset. The model explained 26% of variance in DUP. Migration after the age of six and length of education were associated with MHL but did not have a significant interaction with MHL in predicting DUP.

Conclusions: MHL, measured as recognition of psychotic symptoms, has a small but significant independent effect on DUP. The effect of MHL was larger than years of education and migration history, and did not interact with either, in predicting DUP. This suggests that MHL is an independent factor in prevention strategies for early psychosis.

Help-Seeking Patterns Among the General Population in Singapore: Results from the Singapore Mental Health Study 2016

This study aimed to establish lifetime mental health service utilisation among the general population of Singapore. The sociodemographic correlates of those seeking help from different service provider groups and changes in lifetime mental health service utilisation between 2010 and 2016 among those with mental disorders were also explored. A population-based cross-sectional epidemiological household survey of the Singapore resident population aged 18 years and above was conducted from 2016 to 2018, using the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) version 3.0. Data from two cross-sectional population-based studies were used for comparison of lifetime mental health service utilisation in 2010 (n = 6616) and 2016 (n = 6126). Chi square test and multiple logistic regression were used to analyse the data. A total of 6126 respondents completed the study in 2016. Overall 9.3% of the total sample, 32.0% of those with mental disorders, and 5.7% of those not meeting criteria for mental disorders, ever sought help for their mental health issues in their lifetime, from any treatment service sectors. Several sociodemographic characteristics were found to be correlated with different service provider groups. There was no change in mental health service utilisation between 2010 and 2016 for all mental disorders included in this study, with the exception of a significant increase in help sought from professionals in social services, among those with alcohol abuse. Even though the overall help-seeking rates are low, it is encouraging that those seeking help did so from mental health professionals and professionals working in the social services.

Gender difference in quality of life (QoL) among outpatients with schizophrenia in a tertiary care setting

BACKGROUND

Patients with mental illness report lower quality of life (QoL) compared to the general population. Prior research has found several differences in clinical features and experiences of male and female patients with schizophrenia. Given these differences, it is also important to explore if there are any gender differences in terms of their QoL. This study aimed to investigate differences in QoL between and within each gender among outpatients with schizophrenia in Singapore.

METHODS

A total of 140 outpatients were recruited through convenience sampling at the Institute of Mental Health, Singapore. QoL was measured using the brief version of World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) which consists of four domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. QoL scores of males and females were compared using independent t-tests, and multiple linear regressions were used to examine sociodemographic correlates of QoL in the overall sample and within each gender.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in QoL domain scores between genders. Among males, Indian ethnicity (versus Chinese ethnicity) was positively associated with physical health (β=3.03, p=0.018) while males having Technical Education/ Diploma/ A level education (versus Degree and above) were positively associated with social relationships domain (β=2.46, p=0.047). Among females, Malay ethnicity (versus Chinese ethnicity) was positively associated with physical health (β=1.95, p=0.026) psychological health (β=3.21, p=0.001) social relationships (β=2.17, p=0.048) and environment (β=2.69, p=0.006) domains, while females who were separated/divorced (versus single) were inversely associated with psychological health (β=- 2.80, p=0.044) and social relationships domains (β=- 4.33, p=0.011). Females who had Secondary and below education (versus Degree and above) were inversely associated with social relationships (β=- 2.29, p=0.028) and environment domains (β=- 1.79, p=0.048).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings show the importance of treatments targeting QoL to attend to both the clinical features of the illness as well patient's sociodemographic characteristics.

Care-seeking pathways, care challenges, and coping experiences of rural women living with rheumatoid arthritis in Odisha, India

AIM

The aim of the study was to explore the care-seeking pathway of rural women living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and attending a tertiary health-care facility in Odisha, India.

BACKGROUND

RA is the third leading chronic health condition and causes severe pain and immense psychosocial stress. The prevalence of RA is three to four times higher in women than in men. Furthermore, in India, women delay care seeking due to the prevailing sociocultural norms. Women report more severe symptoms and greater disability; however, there is a lack of information on their care-seeking pathways.

METHOD

We conducted 113 in-depth interviews among RA patients those who visited specialists at the outpatients' Department of Rheumatology, SCB Medical College Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, India. The grounded theory approaches were used for data analysis.

FINDINGS

The key findings included physical pain and psychosocial stress in relation to RA, cultural issues in relation to RA, mapping of the health-care providers for RA, the first point of cares and changes in care-seeking pathways, the perceived challenge for seeking health-care, and coping strategies of patients and social supports. This study explored that the RA patients seek care from multiple providers - untrained, trained and specialist without any gatekeeping. However, the primary health centers were the first point of care for maximum patients due to accessibility and affordability. Furthermore, follow-up care is significant to prevent complication among RA patients; the primary health centers are the gateway for keeping RA patients. Hence, the availability of RA trained providers at primary health center including interprofessional care, such as physiotherapy providers, and proper referral system is essential to convalesce care-seeking pathways.

Cognitive insight and quality of life among psychiatric outpatients

BACKGROUND

Past studies have focused primarily on clinical insight and less on cognitive insight among individuals with mental illness.

METHODS

This study examined the level of cognitive insight (CI) and its association with quality of life (QoL) among psychiatric outpatients (N = 400) in Singapore. The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) consisting of two subscales (self-reflectiveness (SR) and self-certainty (SC)) was used to measure CI while the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was used to assess the subjective well-being of the individual.

RESULTS

Socio-demographic correlates of CI, differences in SR, SC, and CI scores across diagnostic groups, and the association between insight and QoL were examined. Significant differences across diagnostic groups were found only for SR scores. Higher SR and overall CI scores were significantly associated with higher QoL in the environmental domain whereas higher SC scores were associated with lower QoL in the social relationships domain.

CONCLUSIONS

An understanding of cognitive insight is necessary to produce a significant change in the underlying belief system of an individual. Together with clinical insight, these two forms of insight can be used to inform therapeutic approaches to increase awareness and improve the QoL of those with mental illnesses.