Where to seek help? Barriers to beginning treatment during the first-episode psychosis.
Isabela Dos Santos Martin, Bianca Cristina Ciccone Giacon, Kelly Graziani Giacchero Vedana and 3 others
PMID 31406833WHAT IT FOUND
Family members of young people with first-episode psychosis often did not recognize early changes as illness, did not know where to seek help, and feared stigma or hospitalization.
These themes came from 13 relatives.
Key findings
01Relatives reported not recognizing early behavioral changes as mental illness and explaining them as adolescence, personality, substance use, love, or spiritual causes.
02Relatives often did not know where to seek specialized care, and health services were described as the last resort.
03Fear of stigma and psychiatric hospitalization made relatives reluctant to seek help or disclose the situation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study included 13 relatives from 11 families in one region of Brazil, so the themes may not apply elsewhere. It interviewed relatives only, not the young people, so it does not capture the patient's own view. Most relatives were mothers and had not completed elementary school, which may shape how help-seeking was described. The study identified barriers but did not test whether education, referral changes, or stigma reduction would improve treatment delay.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that family education or nurse-led outreach will shorten untreated psychosis. This was a small qualitative study of 13 relatives and did not test an intervention.