Volume : 6, Issue : 5, May - 2017

Pathways to mental health care in Nepal

Dr. Manoj Dhungana, Dr. Shree Ram Ghimire

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;<b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Introduction</span></b><span style="text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">: The study evaluated the pathways of mental health care of patient with schizophrenia <span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">visiting OPD of Devdaha Medical College.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:&#10;justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height:150%"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Methods</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">: A total 100 patients with schizophrenia were enrolled in the study. A semi-structured Performa containing socio-demographic and pathway of care related information was filled by key caregiver. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:&#10;justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height:150%"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Results</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">: The patients were predominantly young adults, male with mean age of 30.31&plusmn;10.63. Faith healers were the most popular portal of mental healthcare. Only 8% of patients seek psychiatrist for the treatment of their illness for the first time.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"> The leading attributed reason for seeking help with different centers and professionals other than Psychiatrist were easy access to treatment (75%), stigma attached to illness (73%), cost effectiveness (71%), and belief illness as non-psychiatric (56%).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:&#10;justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height:150%"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Conclusion</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">: This pathway to mental health care study in Nepal demonstrated that referral pathway heavily relies on faith healers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>