@article{ref1,
title="Dropout from outpatient mental health care: results from the Israel National Health Survey",
journal="Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology",
year="2011",
author="Lerner, Yaacov and Levinson, Daphna",
volume="47",
number="6",
pages="949-955",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: To examine the dropout rates from outpatient mental health treatment in the general medical and mental health sectors and to identify the predictors of dropout. METHOD: The study population was extracted from the Israel National Health Survey. The analysis was related to 12-month service utilization for mental health reasons. RESULTS: The total dropout rate from mental health treatment was 24%, but differed between sectors. The dropout rate from general medical care was 32, and 22% from mental health care. In the general medical care sector, 30% ended treatment within two visits, while only 10% did so in the mental health-care sector. Chronic health condition, but not severity of psychiatric disorder, predicted dropout in the mental health sector. DISCUSSION: The higher rate of early dropout in general medical care may be related to the brevity of general medical visits and/or the inexperience of primary care physicians, which limits the opportunity to develop patient-physician rapport. Providers of services will have to promote education programs for GPs and allocate proper time to psychiatric patients. LIMITATION: The sample, although based on a national representative cohort, was small and limited the number of independent variables that could be examined.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0933-7954",
doi="10.1007/s00127-011-0402-8",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0402-8"
}