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The delay between symptom onset and seeking professional treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders in a rural Australian sample

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Abstract

Background

Epidemiological research has revealed that the utilisation of professional mental health services is low among rural Australians, despite a similar prevalence of mental illness to urban communities. However, the extent of this unmet need and the length of delay to first seek treatment in rural communities remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the delay among rural Australians in seeking treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders.

Method

A total of 124 participants with an anxiety or depressive disorder according to the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) who were participants of the Australian Rural Mental Health Study (ARMHS) were included in this study. Multivariate methods examined the contribution of clinical (onset age, disorder type and comorbidity), attitudinal/demographic (perceived stigma and current age) and structural (rurality) variables to the delay to first seek help.

Results

The average length of the delay was 18.7 years across disorders (range 0–67). The shortest delays were in depressive disorders (10.41 years) and the longest for social phobia (28.02 years). Multivariate analysis indicated that younger onset age, older current age, diagnosis of panic disorder or depressive disorder, and living in a remote (R) or very remote area (VR) were associated with delays of more than one year.

Conclusion

Delays to first seek treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders appear to be far more prolonged in rural compared to urban Australia. This is particularly the case for Australian residents living in R and VR areas. This is of particular concern due to the significant mental health needs of rural Australians.

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Acknowledgments

The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (Project Grant #401241), and also supported by a Research Capacity Building Grant to the Australian Rural Health Research Collaboration. Other ARMHS investigators include Profs Brian Kelly, Jeffrey Fuller, David Lyle, John Beard, David Perkins, Lyn Fragar, Vaughan Carr and Mr Terry Lewin. We wish to acknowledge the support of Area Directors of Mental Health Services during the course of this phase of the study: Dr Russell Roberts, Richard Buss, Judy Kennedy, Dr Dinesh Arya and particularly acknowledge the senior project coordinator Dr Clare Coleman and the research site coordinators in each site: Jan Sidford, John Ogle (Broken Hill), Trim Munro, Amy Strachan (Moree), Louise Holdsworth, Kath O’Driscoll (Lismore), Cheryl Bennett, Janelle Bowler (Orange), along with Dr. Gina Sartore and Denika Novello.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Brennan MacCallum Building (A18), Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Amanda C. Green & Caroline Hunt

  2. Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, University of Newcastle, Bloomfield Hospital, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia

    Helen J. Stain

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  1. Amanda C. Green
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  2. Caroline Hunt
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Correspondence to Caroline Hunt.

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Green, A.C., Hunt, C. & Stain, H.J. The delay between symptom onset and seeking professional treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders in a rural Australian sample. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47, 1475–1487 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0453-x

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