Mental disorders and reasons for using complementary therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To compare patients with and without mental disorders who seek services from a complementary therapy practitioner with regard to quality of life, reasons for seeking complementary therapies, complaints, and physical conditions.


METHODS
We studied new patients who attended a complementary therapy clinic offering acupuncture treatment between July 1, 1993, and March 31, 1995. We collected data from a self-administered questionnaire and from a physician-conducted psychiatric assessment.


RESULTS
Of the 826 new patients at the clinic, 578 (70%) presented with a mental disorder. Patients with a mental disorder perceived their quality of life as poorer and reported greater levels of stress than did those without a mental disorder. However, the groups did not differ in their self-reported reasons for seeking complementary therapies, in their complaints, or in their physical conditions. Among patients with a mental disorder, the major reasons for choosing complementary therapies were personal preference, interest, or belief in complementary therapies (44.3%) and perceiving complementary therapies as a last resort (30.7%). Most patients with a mental disorder saw a complementary practitioner for musculoskeletal and connective-tissue disorders (44.1%), fatigue (26.6%), and headache (15.2%). The most frequent physical illnesses among patients with a mental disorder were diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (42.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
Like their counterparts without a mental disorder, individuals with a mental disorder use complementary therapies because of personal beliefs. The wide use of complementary therapies among individuals with a mental disorder may be ascribed to a poor quality of life and high levels of distress.
Rickhi
Badri
B
Canadian Institute of Natural and Integration Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta. b.rickhi@cinim.org
Quan
Hude
H
Moritz
Sabine
S
Stuart
Heather L
HL
Arboleda-Flórez
Julio
J
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000416:Alberta; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012803:Sick Role; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy