Reactions to Psychiatry Referral in Patients Presenting with Physical Complaints to Medical and Surgical Outpatient Services

Abstract

Background:While it is well known that patients with psychiatric illness feel stigmatized, little is known about the reactions to a psychiatric referral among those who visit general hospital medical and surgical services for their complaints.Materials and Methods:This study assessed the sociodemographic details, psychiatric diagnosis, somatic symptom severity, and interview-based reactions to referral among patients referred to psychiatry services from other departments in a general tertiary hospital in North India. Fifty-nine males and 101 females were assessed over 6 months for this purpose.Results:A majority of patients were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder and had significant somatic symptom severity. The themes explored were the decision to accept the referral, possibility of the presence of mental illness as signified by a psychiatric diagnosis and factors that enabled or impeded psychiatric treatment seeking.Conclusions:Results indicate that patients did not empower in decision-making, a reluctance to accept the possibility of a psychiatric diagnosis and accept medication and had poor knowledge about psychiatry. Referring clinicians and psychiatrists should be sensitive to patient perceptions so that better care is possible.

Interdisciplinary patient-centred poststroke care in Follow-up After Stroke, Screening and Treatment (FASST) clinic model: a proof-of-concept pilot study

“…Moreover, we were able to complete screenings for depression, anxiety, and sleep apnoea and provided appropriate management. Psychiatry referrals were not followed perhaps due to reluctance in accepting a psychiatric diagnosis 4 or scheduling limitation. Thus, FASST clinic with an integrated model to provide optimal management of risk factors and post-stroke complications appears to be feasible.…”