Abstract
Objective: To identify pathways to care for people with mental health problems coming to psychiatry department of a tertiary care
hospital
Study Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional Study
Place and Duration: Department of Psychiatry, Al-Nafees Medical College and Hospital, Islamabad from 1st January 2017 to 30th April
2018.
Methodology: All new patients attending the psychiatry Out-patient and Inpatient facilities were administered a questionnaire after
obtaining their informed consent. It consisted of questions regarding subject’s demographics, pathways to care and modes of
treatment.
Results: Among a total of 231 patients more than a quarter (44.8%) had been to faith healers and many had received traditional forms
of treatment like homeopathic (12.9%) Ayurvedic (2.6%) and Hakeemi (8.2%). About 5% patients had seen a general physician or a
non psychiatric specialist. Around 28% of patients had come directly for a first visit to a psychiatrist. Damdarood (45%) and Taweez
30.7% comprised major forms of interventions. Whereas 38% of patients were prescribed non psychotropic drugs and (29%) were put
on sedatives/hypnotics.
Conclusion: People with mental health illness visit multiple health care providers before reporting to a mental health specialist.
Majority of patients coming for psychiatric treatment first report to traditional healers or general physicians. This study signifies the
need to design an organic and collaborative system of mental health care
Faisal Rashid Khan, Mahpara Mazhar, Faiza Bashir, Maryam Ali. (2019) Pathways to care for people with mental health problems coming to a tertiary care hospital in Islamabad, Isra Medical Journal, Volume 11, Issue 1.
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