Duration of Untreated Psychosis in Chinese and Mauritian: Impact of Clinical Characteristics and Patients' and Families' Perspectives on Psychosis.
BACKGROUND
Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is a potentially modifiable prognostic factor of course and prognosis of psychiatric disorders. Few studies have demonstrated that different cultural backgrounds or perspectives on psychosis may be important factors to the DUP. This study attempted to explore whether the DUP was different in Chinese and Mauritians and to clarify potential influencing factors to a long DUP (>3 months).


METHODS
200 patients from China and 100 patients from Mauritius were enrolled in the study. Their respective family members were also recruited. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected, and the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale was adapted to measure the stigma in all subjects. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to find the potential influencing factors to the long DUP.


RESULTS
35.3% of the enrolled patients had a long DUP. No significant difference was found in frequency of long DUP between the two countries. Chinese patients had relatively less perceptions of stigma. Furthermore, Chinese patients with a long DUP had more perception of breakup due to mental illness (OR = 2.22, p = 0.04) and more families' perception of the patient being disinherited due to mental illness (OR = 6.47, p = 0.01). Mauritian patients with a long DUP were less likely to have high monthly income (OR = 0.12, p<0.01), while they had less patients' awareness of mental illness (OR = 0.31, p<0.05) and less families' awareness of mental illness (OR = 0.14, p<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study underlined the importance of DUP in economic conditions, racial and sociocultural factors, and public awareness on psychosis in developing countries.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital, Pamplemousses, Mauritius.
Jaya Prishni
JP
Devi Thakoor
Mental Health Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Huixi
H
Dong
Mental Health Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.|Brain Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Xiaojie
X
Zhang
Mental Health Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Gang
G
Wang
Mental Health Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Hui
H
Huang
Unit of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China.
Yutao
Y
Xiang
Mental Health Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Wei
W
Hao
D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003469:Culture; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008436:Mauritius / Q000453:epidemiology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult