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Pathways to care: help seeking behaviour in first episode psychosis
J Addington1, S Van Mastrigt, J Hutchinson
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. jean_addington@camh.net
Objective:
To determine the number of attempts it took before patients with a first episode of psychosis received adequate help, the signs or symptoms that led them to seek help and the people from whom they attempted to seek help.
Method:
Subjects were 86 individuals with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, mainly schizophrenia, who were attending a comprehensive program for early psychosis treatment.
Results:
Help-seeking attempts began in the prodromal phase of the illness and continued into the psychotic phase. Concerning behaviours ranged from more general symptoms to psychotic symptoms. A range of contacts were made early on but emergency services were most often the contact that helped individuals obtain appropriate treatment for psychosis.
Conclusion:
Improved public education and gatekeeper education might reduce the time required for individuals developing a psychosis to receive timely and adequate care.