For a study, researchers sought to comprehend how individuals with treatment-resistant mental health conditions (TRMHCs). Based on the results, investigators offered suggestions for improved primary care support that were driven by patients. In order to find qualitative studies that examined research on patients’ experiences using TRMHCs in primary care between 2019 and 2020, 8 databases were searched. They identified anxiety, depression, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress, and obsessive-compulsive disorder among the common mental health conditions listed by NICE. The studies were assessed impartially by 2 reviewers. A combined topic analysis was used to review the relevant studies. About 11 studies out of 4,456 were eligible. A total of 4 descriptive themes that summarized the primary care cycle that TRMHC patients underwent were generated by these 11 investigations. People first decided to self-manage their mental health, and many cited obstacles that kept them from consulting a clinician at the time (e.g., stigma). Only emergencies were deemed necessary for people to visit their primary care physician. During the second stage, antidepressants were often prescribed, but patients weren’t convinced they were having a positive impact on their mental health. People take charge of their own mental health in the third stage (e.g., by adjusting antidepressant dosage). The need for more medical guidance and the recurrence of mental illness were addressed in the fourth stage. Breaking the Cycle, a high-order concept, provided guidance on how to do so (e.g., continuity of care). In order to escape the cycle of therapy, people with TRMHCs and their doctors should discuss what to do if antidepressants don’t work. The prospective switch from antidepressants to psychological treatments like talking therapy or mindfulness may be the main topic of this discussion.
Source: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-022-01819-3
