Sexually Transmitted Disease and Family Planning Counselling of Psychiatric Patients in New Zealand

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to determine the attitudes and behaviours of mental health professionals (MHPs) including psychiatrists towards identifying and reducing their own patients' risk for sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Method: 102 of all of the 162 mental health professionals serving predominantly chronically psychiatrically ill adult outpatients and inpatients in Waitemata district responded to an anonymous questionnaire (response rate = 63%), concerning their own attitudes and behaviours towards identifying and counselling patients on their risk for sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Results: Mental health professionals reported that, on average, they had counselled 14% of their own male patients and 21% of their own female patients on sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS prevention, and that more of their own patients were at risk than were counselled. They also reported that they had counselled 5% of their own male patients and 17% of their own female patients about family planning. Forty-two per cent of mental health professionals indicated that they had insufficient knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases to educate patients, 72% indicated that when it came to risky sexual behaviours chronic psychiatric patients were much the same as other people, and 33% or more felt uncomfortable discussing topics of condom use and patients' sexual preferences. Conclusion: These results suggest that family planning and sexually transmitted diseases risk preventive interventions for psychiatric patients need to overcome mental health professionals' own barriers to risk prevention.