2009•Early Intervention in PsychiatryRequires access
Duration of untreated psychosis and pathways to care in patients with first‐episode psychosis in Iran
Vandad Sharifi, Tahereh Kermani‐Ranjbar, Homayoun Amini, Javad Alaghband‐Rad, N. Salesian, Arshia Seddigh
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Abstract
AIM: This is the first study on the duration of untreated psychosis and pathways to care among patients with first-episode psychosis in Iran as a developing country. METHODS: Ninety-one patients with a first episode of non-organic psychosis admitted to a university-affiliated psychiatric hospital in Iran were assessed for duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), pathways to care and mode of onset. RESULTS: Median DUP was 11 weeks (mean = 52.3 weeks). Following the onset of psychosis, most patients were first seen by a psychiatrist (n = 23, 25.3%), a traditional healer (n = 21, 23.1%) or a general practitioner (n = 16, 17.6%). Most referrals to the psychiatric hospital were made by the family (n = 30, 33.1%), or health professionals (n = 29, 31.9%). Acute onset and rural place of residence were associated with shorter DUP in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Median DUP was not long in an inpatient sample with first-episode psychosis, which may be due to the preponderance of affective and acute psychoses in this sample and some help-seeking or service variables.