Where to seek help? Barriers to beginning treatment during the first-episode psychosis

OBJECTIVE: As decreasing the duration of untreated psychosis has been highlighted as key indicator in relation to improved prognosis, this study aims to identify the access barriers to beginning early treatment of young people in first-episode psychosis (FEP), based on family reports on the experience of perceiving illness and help-seeking. METHOD: A qualitative research was carried out with 12 relatives of 12 young people passing through their first psychiatric hospital admission as a result of their FEP. Depth interviews were used for data collection and thematic content method for data analysis. RESULTS: Barriers to beginning treatment were lack of knowledge and difficulty in recognizing mental illness, lack of knowledge on where to seek specialized treatment, and stigma and resistance to psychiatric treatment. CONCLUSION: It was demonstrated that the family members are protagonists in the search for treatment of young people in their FPE, given that the initiative for seeking treatment came from them.