title: [Seeking behavior of patients with mental disorders and interfering factors].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To approach different help-seeking behavior and its effects on patients with mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the patients first seeking help in psychiatry department, by applying the scale of help-seeking behavior of mental illness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences among different mental disorders. 50% patients with mania, 66% with schizophrenia, and about 90% with depression or neurosis first went to general hospital when their illness began. About 80% patients considered their symptoms as normal, temperament, and mood problems. The course of one-third patients was one year, and most patients were treated with traditional herbs, west drugs and tests. Nearly 10% patients with depression, neurosis and schizophrenia spent more then 10 000 yuan before seeking the doctor in psychiatry.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Now then it is still a main problem for patients with mental disorders in seeking behavior. We suggest that the propaganda of the knowledge of mental health should be paid more attention, especially for the people in community and doctors in general hospital.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Huashan Hospital of Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai 200040, China.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012559:Schizophrenia