Pathways to care among patients with severe mental disorders attending a tertiary health-care facility in Puducherry, South India

Pathways to care and barriers in treatment among patients with Dissociative disorders

INTRODUCTION

Dissociative disorder patients often present with sudden and embarrassing symptoms, and it is difficult for the patient and care giver to understand initially, recognize the need for help and reach for appropriate treatment timely. This can result in high risk of engaging in dangerous behaviors such as self-harm and suicidal acts, impaired global functioning, and poor quality of life. Knowledge about the types of barriers which are there in treatment seeking, can help in planning strategies for their removal and to facilitate the treatment process.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study among patients (n=133) with Dissociative disorders which were recruited from January 2023 to June 2023 in a tertiary care hospital. Pathways to care and barriers in treatment for Dissociative disorders were assessed by interviewing patients using semi-structured proforma. The Dissociative Experience Scale and World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0)) were used to assess disease severity and impact of illness on various domains of life respectively. Group comparison was made to assess differences in social- clinical profile of patients choosing different modalities of treatment.

RESULTS

133 patients of Dissociative disorders with mean age 29.6±9.2, showed their first-choice of help seeking from general practitioner/ neurologist (40.6%), traditional faith healers (35.3%), psychiatrist (18.1%) and 5.2% preferred alternative treatments. This trend changed with 2nd and 3rd contact of help seeking with greater preference for psychiatrist in their 2nd (n=45, 33.8%) and 3rd (n=69, 51.8%) contact. The median duration of untreated illness was 56 weeks (IQR 24-182 weeks). Social-clinical profile of patients varied with their choice of treatment, having lower education level (P = 0.013), longer duration of untreated illness (p=0.003), more severity of symptoms (p=0.032) and greater disability scores(p=0.002) in patients whose first treatment choice was traditional faith healers. More than 70% patients faced availability barriers, stigma, unawareness about mental illness and influence of others in treatment of choice as barriers in initiating and continuing treatment.

CONCLUSION

Patients with Dissociative disorders seek treatment from a multitude of healthcare providers including traditional faith healers, general physicians, and alternative medicine practitioners before reaching psychiatrist and undergoes various barriers in treatment. There is need to implement necessary measures for sensitization and awareness about Dissociative disorders to prevent prolonged and undue delays in initiation of appropriate management.

Quality of life, social support, and pathways of care among persons with psychiatric disorders-A cross-sectional study

Background

Patients with psychiatric disorders have varied psychosocial realities embedded in the community context. Help-seeking behavior is extremely crucial in determining the prognosis and outcome of interventions.

Objectives

(1) To assess the levels of quality of life, perceived social support, and decision to first seek help. (2) To assess the association of socio-demographic variables with these domains.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional descriptive survey with 100 psychiatric patients in a tertiary care setting employed three scales, namely WHOQOL-BREF, PSSS, and WHO Pathways Encounter form.

Results

Patients had higher levels of quality of life and perceived social support. The majority of patients chose health professionals over faith healers at the onset of symptoms, had higher reliance on family members, and continued with hospital visits till the third follow-up. Sex, occupation, and marital status were associated with perceived social support, and duration of illness was associated with help-seeking behavior.

Conclusions

Community-based interventions must include holistic services and reduce the gap between onset and first contact, leading to higher quality of life and perceived social support.

Comparing treatment delays and pathways to early intervention services for psychosis in urban settings in India and Canada

INTRODUCTION

Although extensively studied in high-income countries (HICs) and less so in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), pathways to care and treatment delays in early psychosis have not been compared across contexts. We compared pathways to early intervention for psychosis in an HIC (Montreal, Canada) and an LMIC (Chennai, India). We hypothesised that the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) would be longer in Chennai.

METHODS

The number of contacts preceding early intervention, referral sources, first contacts, and DUP and its referral and help-seeking components of first-episode psychosis patients at both sites were similarly measured and compared using chi-square analyses and t tests/one-way ANOVAs.

RESULTS

Overall and help-seeking DUPs of Chennai (N = 168) and Montreal (N = 165) participants were not significantly different. However, Chennai patients had shorter referral DUPs [mean = 12.0 ± 34.1 weeks vs. Montreal mean = 13.2 ± 28.7 weeks; t(302.57) = 4.40; p < 0.001] as the early intervention service was the first contact for 44% of them (vs. 5% in Montreal). Faith healers comprised 25% of first contacts in Chennai. Those seeing faith healers had significantly shorter help-seeking but longer referral DUPs. As predicted, most (93%) Montreal referrals came from medical sources. Those seeing psychologists/counsellors/social workers as their first contact had longer DUPs.

CONCLUSION

Differences in cultural views about mental illnesses and organizational structures shape pathways to care and their associations with treatment delays across contexts. Both formal and informal sources need to be targeted to reduce delays. Early intervention services being the first portal where help is sought can reduce DUP especially if accessed early on in the illness course.

Pathways to care in first-episode psychosis in low-resource settings: Implications for policy and practice

OBJECTIVE

Developing countries such as India face a major mental health care gap. Delayed or inadequate care can have a profound impact on treatment outcomes. We compared pathways to care in first episode psychosis (FEP) between North and South India to inform solutions to bridge the treatment gap.

METHODS

Cross-sectional observation study of 'untreated' FEP patients (n = 177) visiting a psychiatry department in two sites in India (AIIMS, New Delhi and SCARF, Chennai). We compared duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), first service encounters, illness attributions and socio-demographic factors between patients from North and South India. Correlates of DUP were explored using logistic regression analysis (DUP ≥ 6 months) and generalised linear models (DUP in weeks).

RESULTS

Patients in North India had experienced longer DUP than patients in South India (β = 17.68, p < 0.05). The most common first encounter in North India was with a faith healer (45.7%), however, this contact was not significantly associated with longer DUP. Visiting a faith healer was the second most common first contact in South India (23.6%) and was significantly associated with longer DUP (Odds Ratio: 6.84; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.77, 26.49). Being in paid employment was significantly associated with shorter DUP across both sites.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing early intervention strategies in a diverse country like India requires careful attention to local population demographics; one size may not fit all. A collaborative relationship between faith healers and mental health professionals could help with educational initiatives and to provide more accessible care.

Change in attitude and help-seeking pattern of caregivers and patients with mental disorders in the community - Recent findings from India

Knowledge of factors related to patients' and primary caregivers' health-seeking behaviour is required for a complete early intervention for the management of mental illness. Previous research has found that men are more likely to seek care and that a considerable proportion of patients seek help from native healers before obtaining psychiatric help. The goal of this study was to see if there had been any changes in the paths to psychiatric care, as well as the socio-demographic characteristics that were linked to early help-seeking behaviour among patients with mental illnesses in metropolitan eastern India.

Method

The researchers utilised a cross-sectional study design. A face-to-face interview was used to collect data using the WHO Encounter Form. Using a successive sample technique, patients with various diagnoses of mental illness undergoing Psychiatry outpatient therapy at a tertiary care medical college were included in the study.

Results

In terms of gender, ladies (53.3%) were seen to use psychiatric services more than males (46.7%) from an urban or semi-urban background. For dissociative disorders, the median time from onset to first contact with a care provider was 0.1 years; 0.3 years for mood episodes; 0.6 years for anxiety disorders; one year for psychotic disorders; and seven years for Substance Use Disorders (SUD). However, interaction with current psychiatric services took an average of six months for dissociation; 3.5 years for mood disorders; three years for anxiety disorders; six years for psychotic disorders; and a maximum of seventeen years for SUD. Participants in the study who had a family history of mental illness sought care more quickly (OR = 4.3, 95 percent CI 1.19 to 7.11, P = 0.03). The fact that 73 percent of patients have a GP or mental health professional as their first point of contact for various mental diseases is good. Higher education status, urban background, dwelling closer to the mental health centre, and having a biological attribution model for psychological illness were the other clinical and demographic characteristics important for quicker paths to mental health treatment.

Conclusions

In most cases of psychosis and SUD (substance use disorders), there is still a significant delay in receiving modern psychiatric therapy. The number of initial contacts with Native Healers ha s decreased. The majority of people said mental illness was caused by environmental or biological factors. Education and scientific information regarding mental health have aided the process of seeking treatment, and there should be a provision of training programmes for family physicians and community health professionals to facilitate the process of help-seeking behavior of psychiatric patients in the Indian subcontinent.