Clinical social characteristics of patients seeking psychotherapeutic care

Abstract

Aim. The study of social characteristics of patients seeking psychotherapeutic care as well as mental disorders and psychological problems that affected psychotherapeutic encounter.

Methods. 160 subjects (45 males and 115 females) aged 18 to 70 years were examined seeking psychotherapeutic care in Psychotherapeutic Center of Cheboksary. Using the method of continuous sampling by means of a questionnaire specially designed in the Psychotherapeutic Center of Cheboksary for collecting sociodemographic and ethno-cultural data, the social characteristics of patients who consulted a therapist were studied. Mental disorders and psychological problems that affected psychotherapeutic encounter were determined by outpatient records. Statistical processing was carried out using descriptive statistics (mean value - M, standard deviation - SD), χ2 distribution.

Results. Most of those seeking psychotherapeutic care were urban residents with higher and incomplete higher education aged 18 to 30 years, who considered Russian as their native language. Females seek care three times more often, they are mostly married, often divorced and widowed; among males bachelors prevail. About half of respondents sought therapists independently, more often they were healthy people with psychological problems. Only a fifth of respondents consulted a therapist according to the recommendation of a general practitioner, many of them had borderline mental disorders. Patients with schizophrenia and schizotypal disorder are often advised to consult a psychotherapist by relatives, friends and acquaintances. When consulting a therapist, about third of the respondents considered themselves as sick, while only one fifth of those who applied to solve psychological problems, were recognized as healthy by psychotherapists.

Conclusion. Patients seeking psychotherapeutic care differ by sex, marital status, age, level of education, place of residence, religion, employment, nationality; when applying for psychotherapeutic care many respondents were not prone to consider themselves as sick; in most cases psychotherapists qualified their condition as a mental disorder.

Keywords

psychotherapeutic counseling / psychotherapeutic care

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Gatin F.F., Orlov F.V., Alexeeva I.N.