Abstract
BackgroundMental healthcare is an important component in societies’ response to mental health problems. Although the World Health Organization highlights availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of healthcare as important cornerstones, many Europeans lack access to mental healthcare of high quality. Qualitative studies exploring mental healthcare from the perspective of people with lived experiences would add to previous research and knowledge by enabling in-depth understanding of mental healthcare users, which may be of significance for the development of mental healthcare. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to describe experiences of mental healthcare among adult Europeans with mental health problems.MethodIn total, 50 participants with experiences of various mental health problems were recruited for separate focus group interviews in each country. They had experiences from both the private and public sectors, and with in- and outpatient mental healthcare. The focus group interviews (N = 7) were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed through thematic analysis. The analysis yielded five themes and 13 subthemes.ResultsThe theme Seeking and trying to find help contained three subthemes describing personal thresholds for seeking professional help, not knowing where to get help, and the importance of receiving help promptly. The theme Awaiting assessment and treatment contained two subthemes including feelings of being prioritized or not and feelings of being abandoned during the often-lengthy referral process. The theme Treatment: a plan with individual parts contained three subthemes consisting of demands for tailored treatment plans in combination with medications and human resources and agreement on treatment. The theme Continuous and respectful care relationship contained two subthemes describing the importance of continuous care relationships characterised by empathy and respect. The theme Suggestions for improvements contained three subthemes highlighting an urge to facilitate care contacts and to increase awareness of mental health problems and a wish to be seen as an individual with potential.ConclusionFacilitating contacts with mental healthcare, a steady contact during the referral process, tailored treatment and empathy and respect are important aspects in efforts to improve mental healthcare. Recommendations included development of collaborative practices between stakeholders in order to increase general societal awareness of mental health problems.
Highlights
Mental healthcare is an important component in societies’ response to mental health problems
In a cross-sectional study conducted in six European countries aimed at estimating the unmet need for mental healthcare at population level, 3.1% of the adult general population reported an unmet need for mental healthcare and 6.5% of those having mental problems were defined as being in need of mental healthcare [6]
The results are based on the thematic analyses of focus group interviews where a total of 50 participants with lived experiences of mental health problems and of receiving mental healthcare participated
Summary
Mental healthcare is an important component in societies’ response to mental health problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a framework, Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality of healthcare (AAAQ), as an analytic tool to clarify how the right to health [4], as stated in the United Nations (UN) declaration of universal human rights §25 [5], can be understood in terms of provision of healthcare (Table 1). Concerns regarding the quality of mental healthcare provided in primary care have been raised by patients who experienced that they were stuck with ineffective medication treatments instead of being provided psychosocial care [8]. This coincides with Barbato and colleagues [9] who state that Europeans seeking help for their mental health problems are often prescribed ineffective treatments. If patients experience the mental health treatment as ineffective they are more likely to discontinue their treatment [10], which in turn could jeopardize their recuperation
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