Pathways to mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from rural tertiary government mental health facilities in India

Background: Understanding the routes individuals take to access mental health care facilities for treatment is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies and policies for those grappling with mental illness. These routes are commonly referred to as pathways to mental health services. Mate...

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Main Authors: Jithin Jaise, Kannappa V. Shetty, Sanjeev Kumar Manikappa, Urmila Bamney
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-04-01
Series:MGM Journal of Medical Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.4103/mgmj.mgmj_42_24
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author Jithin Jaise
Kannappa V. Shetty
Sanjeev Kumar Manikappa
Urmila Bamney
author_facet Jithin Jaise
Kannappa V. Shetty
Sanjeev Kumar Manikappa
Urmila Bamney
author_sort Jithin Jaise
collection DOAJ
description Background: Understanding the routes individuals take to access mental health care facilities for treatment is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies and policies for those grappling with mental illness. These routes are commonly referred to as pathways to mental health services. Materials and Methods: A descriptive research design was utilized, alongside simple random sampling, to select a sample of 30 participants. Along with gathering sociodemographic variables, data collection involved utilizing the World Health Organization Pathways to Care Performance tool at rural government hospitals in India. Results: The results of the research show that 50% of the population initially sought assistance from psychiatric services, whereas 43.3% consulted native or religious healers for mental illness treatment. It is worth noting that the majority of urban participants primarily utilized psychiatric services. Furthermore, the study highlights that delays in treatment are more common among patients who initially sought help from religious or native healers, especially those from rural backgrounds. Conclusion: This study indicates that treatment delays are more significant among the rural population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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spelling doaj-art-08ff02d39f5541a2a16207869b2700bf2025-01-25T10:19:23ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsMGM Journal of Medical Sciences2347-79462347-79622024-04-0111227427810.4103/mgmj.mgmj_42_24Pathways to mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from rural tertiary government mental health facilities in IndiaJithin JaiseKannappa V. ShettySanjeev Kumar ManikappaUrmila BamneyBackground: Understanding the routes individuals take to access mental health care facilities for treatment is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies and policies for those grappling with mental illness. These routes are commonly referred to as pathways to mental health services. Materials and Methods: A descriptive research design was utilized, alongside simple random sampling, to select a sample of 30 participants. Along with gathering sociodemographic variables, data collection involved utilizing the World Health Organization Pathways to Care Performance tool at rural government hospitals in India. Results: The results of the research show that 50% of the population initially sought assistance from psychiatric services, whereas 43.3% consulted native or religious healers for mental illness treatment. It is worth noting that the majority of urban participants primarily utilized psychiatric services. Furthermore, the study highlights that delays in treatment are more common among patients who initially sought help from religious or native healers, especially those from rural backgrounds. Conclusion: This study indicates that treatment delays are more significant among the rural population during the COVID-19 pandemic.https://doi.org/10.4103/mgmj.mgmj_42_24covid-19mental health carepathwayspsychiatric care
spellingShingle Jithin Jaise
Kannappa V. Shetty
Sanjeev Kumar Manikappa
Urmila Bamney
Pathways to mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from rural tertiary government mental health facilities in India
MGM Journal of Medical Sciences
covid-19
mental health care
pathways
psychiatric care
title Pathways to mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from rural tertiary government mental health facilities in India
title_full Pathways to mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from rural tertiary government mental health facilities in India
title_fullStr Pathways to mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from rural tertiary government mental health facilities in India
title_full_unstemmed Pathways to mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from rural tertiary government mental health facilities in India
title_short Pathways to mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from rural tertiary government mental health facilities in India
title_sort pathways to mental health care during the covid 19 pandemic a study from rural tertiary government mental health facilities in india
topic covid-19
mental health care
pathways
psychiatric care
url https://doi.org/10.4103/mgmj.mgmj_42_24
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