Epidemiological aspects of individuals with mental disorders in the referral system: the experience of a Community Mental Health Center in the northeast of Iran

Author:

Talebi Mahdi1,Niroumand Shabnam1,Gholami Mobin1,Samarghandi Azadeh2,Nemati Ahmad1

Affiliation:

1. Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

2. Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Abstract

Abstract Background Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) provide mental health services to patients at low cost, with less stigma, in a domiciliary setting. This study aimed to assess the epidemiological and variety of mental disorders and treatment dropout among patients attending the only CMHC of Mashhad, northeastern Iran. Furthermore, the association of demographic variables with referral from primary health care centers was investigated. Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 662 patients who contacted this center between January 2014 and December 2021. We completed a checklist that included information on demographics, diagnosed mental disorders, referral status, and the number of psychiatric visits, all of which psychiatrists fully completed clinical records. The frequency distributions of all variables were conducted with SPSS11.5. In addition, the association between epidemiological findings and patient referral (referral system or self-referral) and the association between epidemiological findings and the number of psychiatric revisits were examined by the Chi-square test. Results Of 662 patients, 472 (71%) women and 190 (29%) men were enrolled, and the mean age of all patients was 29 years. Among the 475 adult patients, 367 (77.3%) patients were married and had primary or secondary education (40.4%), and the majority of them were housewives (56.4%). Major Depression Disorder (32%), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (18.3%) were the two most common mental illnesses in patients. Most patients (70.7%) were referred to this center via the referral system. Moreover, non-working patients (housewives and unemployed patients) and the female gender were associated with more referrals to this center through the referral system. 431 patients (65.1%) did not return for a second visit, and the higher number of psychiatric visits was associated with a lower level of education. Conclusions It is recommended that primary health care centers (PHCs) undergo certain modifications to enhance the screening process for psychiatric patients, focusing on common mental disorders. Referral of mental illnesses to CMHCs should be taken more seriously, especially in women with low socioeconomic status. Better health services in CMHCs can encourage patients to continue treatment in CMHCs.

Publisher

Research Square Platform LLC

Reference40 articles.

1. organization(WHO) wh. mental disorders 2019 [Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders

2. Mental health survey of the Iranian adult population in 2015;Noorbala AA;Archives of Iranian medicine,2017

3. The burden of disease and injury in Iran 2003;Naghavi M;Population health metrics,2009

4. Empirical evidence for using subjective quality of life as an outcome variable in clinical studies: A meta-analysis of correlates and predictors in persons with a major mental disorder living in the community;Vatne S;Clinical Psychology Review,2008

5. Frailty and severe mental illness: A systematic review and narrative synthesis;Pearson E;Journal of Psychiatric Research,2022

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3