Pathways to mental healthcare in high-income and low-income countries

Understanding the way in which people seek care for mental disorders is important for planning services, training and referral mechanisms. Pathways to care fall broadly into three categories: via primary care physicians; via native healers; and via patient choice (patients can have direct access to mental health professionals). The pattern and nature of access to service in low-income countries are different from those in high-income countries. In many societies, deep-seated cultural beliefs on the part of patients and families about the causes of mental disorders are a major barrier to the receipt of modern psychiatric care.