A study on help-seeking behavior and treatment with mental illness / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo explore help-seeking behavior and treatment towards people with mental illness,so as to provide evidence for intervention measures.Methods 1988 mental disorders in outpatient were selected with a self-developed questionnaire randomly,and regression analysis was carried out.ResultsUnstable marriages and the lack of mental health knowledge were risk factors for actively professional help-seeking contact after first onset of a mental disorder.Median delays of seeking help and treatment in depression,schizophrenia,anxiety disorders and somatoform disorders were 113.5 days,34.0 days,86.5 days,309.0 days and 6.0 months,3.0 months,3.0 months,5.5 months orderly.There were notable difference for primary treatment contact between the four mental disorders ( x2 =46.317,P =0.029 ).No-professional recognition ratio was 17.8％.The ratio of correctly diagnosed and rationally cured with drugs ratio was 10.5％.89.5％ of outpatients had not been given rational drugs then they sought to psychiatry.ConclusionThe delay of help-seeking and treatment in mental illnesses are serious,so it should be taken effective measures to promote the popularization of mental health knowledge and train no-professional doctors in order to improve the behavior of seeking help and provide the ratio of recognition and treatment.