title: Help-seeking behaviors of Turkish patients prior to accessing a psychiatric polyclinic.
abstract: Despite the high prevalence of mental illness worldwide, people often do not receive adequate care and treatment. This study determined the help-seeking behaviors, prior to attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic, among Turkish patients (N = 225) with mental illness. Prior to attending the clinic, 29.3% of patients surveyed indicated they used self-implementation techniques, 17.78% consulted someone other than a physician, and 9.3% visited special healing sites other than hospitals. More than 50% used alternative therapies rather than conventional treatment. Mental health nurses must be aware of these health-seeking behaviors when planning individualized patient care and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Nursing, Koç University, School of Nursing, İstanbul, Turkey. pguner@ku.edu.tr
authors.forename: Perihan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Güner-Küçükkaya
authors.forename: Sati
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Unal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult