FACTORS INFLUENCING TREATMENT ACCEPTANCE IN NEUROTIC PATIENTS REFERRED FOR YOGA THERAPY–;AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

A total of 186 neurotic patients seeking treatment in the psychiatry outpatient clinic of the Nehru Hospital, P.G.I.M.E.R. were assigned consequently to three treatments i.e. Yoga therapy (Y), Yogic Relaxation (YR) and Chemotherapy (C). A record was kept of the number of visits made by each patient during the 5 months study period. In order to find out the factors associated with treatment acceptance, a comparison was made of those subjects who completed 4-6 weeks of treatment with those who dropped out before completing the treatment in the yoga group. The dropouts and non-dropouts were found to be comparable on sociodemographic and clinical variables. They were also similar with regard to the attitude to yoga. The only factor which distinguished the two groups was the severity of illness at intake. Those who continued treatment had significantly higher scores on the P. G. I. Health Questionnaire N-2 and the clinical ratings of the severity of illness. Further, analysis of stage at which dropout occurred, and the responses to the reply paid questionnaire indicated that treatment failure as not the main reason for dropout.