Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Nov-Dec;49(6):530-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2008.02.010.

The period of untreated psychosis before treatment initiation: a qualitative study of family members' perspectives

Erin Bergner  1 , Amy S Leiner, Tandrea Carter, Lauren Franz, Nancy J Thompson, Michael T Compton
Affiliations

The period of untreated psychosis before treatment initiation: a qualitative study of family members' perspectives

Erin Bergner et al. Compr Psychiatry. 2008 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Aim: This study used a qualitative research methodology to explore common themes pertaining to the period of untreated psychosis before treatment initiation in hospitalized, urban, African American, first-episode psychosis patients.

Methods: Twelve family members of 10 patients were interviewed at length to gather detailed narrative accounts of factors related to untreated psychosis and treatment delay. Using qualitative analysis, verbatim transcripts were reviewed by 2 researchers to identify prominent themes useful for generating future research hypotheses.

Results: Four themes emerged as informative of the period of untreated psychosis before treatment initiation: (1) misattribution of symptoms or problem behaviors (eg, depression, drug use, and adolescent rebellion), (2) positive symptoms causing unusual or dangerous behaviors that served as a catalyst for initiating treatment, (3) views about personal autonomy of an adult or nearly adult patient, and (4) system-level factors (eg, unaffordability of health care and inefficiency on the part of health care providers).

Conclusions: Family members encountered numerous barriers when seeking treatment, including their own misattributions, the nature of the patient's symptoms, financial issues, and system-level delays. The themes uncovered in this formative analysis merit further exploration with additional qualitative and quantitative research.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Murray CL, Lopez AD. The Global Burden of Disease: A Comprehensive Assessment of Mortality and Disability from Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors in 1990 and Projected to 2020. Boston MA: Harvard University Press; 1996.
    1. Compton MT, Carter T, Bergner E, Franz L, Stewart T, Trotman H, McGlashan TH, McGorry PD. Defining, operationalizing, and measuring the duration of untreated psychosis: Advances, limitations and future directions. Early Intervention in Psychiatry. 2007;1:236–50.
    1. Perkins DO, Gu H, Boteva K, Lieberman JA. Relationship between duration of untreated psychosis and outcome in first-episode schizophrenia: A critical review and meta-analysis. Am J Psychiatry. 2005;162:1785–804. - PubMed
    1. Marshall M, Lewis S, Lockwood A, Drake R, Jones P, Croudace T. Association between duration of untreated psychosis and outcome in cohorts of first-episode patients: A systematic review. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:975–83. - PubMed
    1. Norman RG, Malla AK. Duration of untreated psychosis: A critical examination of the concept and its importance. Psycholog Med. 2001;31:381–400. - PubMed

Publication types