The help-seeking behaviors of the patients of schizophrenia and their families during early outpatient visits
Date Issued
2005
Date
2005
Author(s)
Li, I-Hsien
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
The goal of this study focuses on the understanding of the help-seeking behaviors of the patients of schizophrenia and their families on their first visit to a teaching hospital in Taipei. The qualitative approach is adopted to firstly present the symptoms schizophrenia patients experience, the coping strategies they use, and then their help-seeking behaviors.
In this study, it is found that schizophrenia patients experience aural and visual symptoms. Patients’ coping strategies and lack of knowledge concerning schizophrenia from their families result in the postponement of seeking professional medical help. Types of help-seeking behavior found from participants in this study include psychotic medical therapy, Chinese medicine therapy (taking herbal medicine or receiving chiropractic therapy), folk therapy (worship, divination), popular sector (nourishing brain by taking cod-liver oil, doing sports) and the pluralistic help-seeking type—the combination of two or more of the above types. Factors affecting the adoption of pluralistic help-seeking behaviors include religion and fold beliefs toward psychological disorders, seeking of any therapies for complete recovery and participants’ health beliefs. Reasons why participants choose psychotic medical therapy include degree of interruption of patients’ external behavior, their accurate knowledge in schizophrenia, and failure and frustration experienced when seeking help from alternative therapeutic systems. Contexts under which patients resort to psychotic medical therapy include answer-seeking and changing the status quo.
The results of this study make it possible for us to know more in the process of pluralistic help-seeking behaviors in the part of the patients and their families; to realize the reasons why and the situations in which they transfer among psychotic, folk, and Chinese medicine therapies. Comprehension of the help-seeking behaviors of the participants can serve as a reference for professionals in psychotic medical therapy to take better care of the patients of schizophrenia, and on the other hand, to establish early intervention service in the future.
Subjects
精神分裂症
求助行為
早期處置
schizophrenia
help-seeking behavior
early intervention
Type
other
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