Suchergebnisse

"This book documents the journey of the Mental Health-General Practitioner (MH-GP) Partnership Programme in Singapore's Institute of Mental Health since its inception in 2003 and how it has developed over the years as a model of successful tertiary-primary care partnership in mental health. The programme provides an Asian perspective and showcases a successful collaboration of an integrated network between tertiary and primary care practitioners in the management of individuals with chronic major psychiatric disorders as well as individuals with minor psychiatric disorders. It can serve as a reference guide for agencies, both public and private in Singapore as well as agencies in the region who plans to develop similar partnerships between tertiary and primary care. This book may interest audiences from various fields, medical, allied health, administration and students in healthcare and education."--Publisher's website

Introduction: Delays in providing effective treatment for a patient with psychosis has significant negative effects on the outcome. This includes more hospitalizations, longer periods of inpatient care, slower and less complete recovery, and more frequent relapses. In this study, we established the Duration of Psychosis (DUP) in a sample of patients with first-episode psychosis and examined the pathways to care. Methods: The sample comprised patients presenting with first-episode psychosis to the psychiatric services of the Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, from January to December 2000. The association between the DUP and demographic, clinical and social variables was examined. Results: The DUP ranged from 0.1 to 336 months. The mean DUP was 32.6 (SD 1/4 59.8) months, with a median of 12 months. Twenty four percent of the patients had sought consultation with a traditional healer prior to consulting a psychiatrist. The DUP of this group of patients was not significantly different from those who sought help elsewhere. Conclusions: The DUP of our patients was longer than that reported in studies done in the West. The attitudes and beliefs of family in the Asian society are likely to be crucial in the pathways to care.