TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - The long and complex road in the search for treatment for mental disorders: an analysis of the process in five groups of patients
JO  - Psychiatry research
A1  - Del Valle, Gema
A1  - Belloch, Amparo
A1  - Carrió, Carmen
SP  - 1
EP  - 8
VL  - 253
IS  - 
N2  - Seeking treatment for mental-health problems is a complex process, with different underlying motives in each stage. However, the entire process and these motives have hardly been investigated. This study aims to analyze the different stages of the help-seeking process and their underlying motives in five groups of patients with different mental disorders. In all, 156 patients seeking treatment in outpatient mental health clinics were individually interviewed: 71 had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), 21 had Agoraphobia (AGO), 18 had Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), 20 had Anorexia Nervosa (AN), and 22 had Cocaine Dependence (COC). The AGO and MDD patients delayed significantly less time in recognizing their mental health symptoms. Moreover, MDD patients disclosed their symptoms and searched for professional help faster than the other groups. The most relevant variables in the recognition of disorders were the loss of control over the symptoms, the interference produced by these symptoms, and their negative impact on the person's emotional state. The most frequent barriers to seeking treatment were related to minimizing the symptoms and fear of stigma. Finally, the most important motivator for seeking treatment was the awareness that minimizing the symptoms did not help to reduce them, lessen their interference, or make them disappear.<br><br>Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0165-1781
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.03.024
ID  - ref1
ER  -