The Introduction of Psychotherapy in Psychiatric Outpatients in the Last Four Years in a Greek Hospital

Abstract

Introduction

The use of psychotherapy is an important part of treating psychiatric disorders, in combination with medication taking. However, despite its importance, psychotherapy is still underused from individuals with psychiatric problems in Greece.

Objectives

To examine the use of psychotherapy, among psychiatric outpatients, in the last four years.

Aims

To investigate whether there are differences in the use of psychotherapy, in combination with medications, to treat psychiatric disorders, from 2012 to 2015.

Methods

In this study participated 5,551 patients, 2,760 males (49.7%) and 2,791 females (50.3%). The mean age was 45.54. Convenience sampling method was used and participants were recruited from the General Hospital of Nikaia, ‘Ag. Panteleimon’, in Athens, Greece, from 01/01/2012 to 31/12/2015. SPSS software was used to analyse the data.

Results

There were significant differences between the four years (2012–2015) with regard to the use of psychotherapy, in combination with medications, from psychiatric patients as χ2 (21): 753.057, P < 0.001. More specifically, only 0.1% of psychiatric patients undertook psychotherapy in addition to taking medications, in 2012, and this increased to 2.7%, in 2013, 13.8% in 2014 and 18.6% in 2015.

Conclusions

There was an increase in the use of psychotherapy, in combination with medication taking, during the four last years, from 2012–2015. However, the percentage of patients undertaking both psychotherapy and taking medications is still low. This has important clinical implications as the use of psychotherapy plays a significant role in achieving optimal health outcomes of psychiatric patients.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.