Schizophrenic patients who were never treated--a study in an Indian urban community.
BACKGROUND
A significant number of patients with severe psychiatric disorders remain untreated in the community although health services are available. The factors related to non-treatment are not well understood.


METHODS
A door-to-door survey was conducted on an Indian urban population of 100,000 using standardized screening and clinical instruments as a part of a larger epidemiological study. Treatment status was determined from multiple sources of information.


RESULTS
Nearly one-third of 261 schizophrenia patients were found never to have received treatment. They were older in age and ill for a longer duration than those who had been treated and were more symptomatic and severely disabled. They were more often uneducated and divorced and lived with larger extended/joint families. This last factor was considered as being the important factor in determining whether the patient received treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The larger extended/joint family, which was able to compensate and cope with the dysfunctional member, seemed to be the crucial factor related to non-treatment of the schizophrenic patient.
Padmavathi
R
R
Schizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, India.
Rajkumar
S
S
Srinivasan
T N
TN
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004243:Divorce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*