Barriers and facilitators for psychiatrists in managing mental health patients in Hong Kong-Impact of Chinese culture and health system

Introduction: This study investigated the barriers and facilitators for psychiatrists in managing mental health patients under a Chinese context and a mixed private-public health system.

Methods: Two focus group interviews were conducted to explore the in-depth opinions of psychiatrists in Hong Kong. The themes identified from the focus groups were investigated in a questionnaire survey with data from 83 psychiatrists working in public and private sectors.

Results: No insurance coverage of mental health problems, patients' poor compliance of medication, and stigma of seeing psychiatrists were rated as the top barriers in the survey. Some psychiatrists mentioned in focus groups that they might write down the associated physical symptoms of the patients rather than the mental disorder diagnoses on the medical certificate. They observed some patients suspecting that psychiatric drugs were prescribed to control their behavior and make them more muddleheaded. The survey also found that consultation time constraint, long patient waiting list, and difficulty in discharging patients to primary care mostly affected public psychiatrists rather than private ones. However, they perceived similar facilitators, including public campaign to promote positive results of help-seeking, adequate explanation by other health professionals to the patients before referrals, handling severe cases by casework approach, and having a regular primary care physician.

Discussion: The top barriers are related to insufficient public awareness and negative attitudes towards mental illness and its treatment. Major solutions include promoting positive results of help seeking, enhancing collaboration with primary care physicians, and follow-up of severe cases by a casework approach.