title: Duration of untreated psychosis and pathways to care in patients with first-episode psychosis in Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This is the first study on the duration of untreated psychosis and pathways to care among patients with first-episode psychosis in Iran as a developing country.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-one patients with a first episode of non-organic psychosis admitted to a university-affiliated psychiatric hospital in Iran were assessed for duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), pathways to care and mode of onset.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median DUP was 11 weeks (mean = 52.3 weeks). Following the onset of psychosis, most patients were first seen by a psychiatrist (n = 23, 25.3%), a traditional healer (n = 21, 23.1%) or a general practitioner (n = 16, 17.6%). Most referrals to the psychiatric hospital were made by the family (n = 30, 33.1%), or health professionals (n = 29, 31.9%). Acute onset and rural place of residence were associated with shorter DUP in multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Median DUP was not long in an inpatient sample with first-episode psychosis, which may be due to the preponderance of affective and acute psychoses in this sample and some help-seeking or service variables.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran, Iran. vsharifi@tums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Vandad
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sharifi
authors.forename: Tahereh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kermani-Ranjbar
authors.forename: Homayoun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amini
authors.forename: Javad
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alaghband-rad
authors.forename: Niloofar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Salesian
authors.forename: Arshia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seddigh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors