Premium
Obstacles to care in first‐episode psychosis patients with a long duration of untreated psychosis
Author(s) -
Bay Nina,
Bjørnestad Jone,
Johannessen Jan O.,
Larsen Tor K.,
Joa Inge
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
early intervention in psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.087
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1751-7893
pISSN - 1751-7885
DOI - 10.1111/eip.12152
Subject(s) - psychosis , psychiatry , prodrome , intervention (counseling) , psychology , early psychosis , social stigma , stigma (botany) , clinical psychology , health care , medicine , family medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , economics , economic growth
Aim This qualitative study is a sub‐study of the early ‘ T reatment and I ntervention in P sychosis S tudy’ ( TIPS ‐2), a program for early intervention strategies for people experiencing a first episode of psychosis. We aimed to improve knowledge about factors that prevent or delay patients with a long duration of psychosis from accessing psychiatric health‐care services at an earlier illness stage and their personal views on the impact of ongoing informational campaigns (ICs) on help‐seeking behaviour. Method Following an interpretative‐phenomenological approach, eight consecutive TIPS ‐2 patients with duration of untreated psychosis lasting for more than 6 months were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using a meaning condensation procedure. Results Five main themes were identified: (i) participants’ failure to recognize symptoms of psychosis; (ii) difficulties expressing their experiences; (iii) concerns about stigma; (iv) poor psychosis detection skills among health‐care professionals; and (v) participants’ lack of awareness or understanding of ICs. Conclusions The five themes identified may suggest that despite exposure to the targeted IC s, participants were unable to recognize or understand the severity of their symptoms. Further, although family members or others sometimes recognized the initial symptoms of psychosis development, these symptoms were attributed to reasons other than psychosis. Participants reported that health‐care personnel also had trouble identifying emerging signs of psychosis. The IC s need to be carefully crafted to relay information to people who do not consider themselves as currently experiencing signs of psychosis.