P02-125 - Need for Community-based Services for Mentally Ill Persons and their Families

Abstract

Objective

To investigate need for social support for persons with mental health problems and their families on example of screening-questionnaire of persons, visiting on World Mental Health Day Clinics of Mental Health Research Institute SB RAMSci, Tomsk, Russia.

Methods

Screening-questionnaire was carried out anonymously. Questions were answered by 14 persons of various ages, randomly selected by investigator. Respondents had to choose variants of answers for 4 questions:

Results

100% of respondents have come to clinics for their mental health problems, among them 1 person (7%) was a relative of person with mental health problems. 2 persons (14%) had friends with mental health problems. One person said that it is simply interesting for him. Patients and relatives need more information about mental health. They’d like to know about available medication. Overwhelming number of respondents believed that establishment of site and organization for mentally ill and relatives is necessary. % of negative answers was significantly lower and was explained by unwillingness to attract attention of other people. Organization of leisure-time would diversify life of patients and relatives. Of interest is advocacy of patients and their relatives,

Conclusions

Analysis of screening-questionnaire has shown that social support is really needed by persons with mental health problems and it may be rendered by user-led organizations, need for which in Russia has not been still satisfied. Social support is important both for patients and their families because they are often isolated and hardly cope with challenge of poor mental health of ill family member.