From folk therapy to evidence-based psychiatry practice: The benefit of evidence-based psychiatry in treatment-naive psychotic patients

Background: As Taiwan’s Mental Health Act (MHA) clearly states that the human rights and legal rights of psychotic patients should be respected and guaranteed; however, a temple asylum violates the law in the 21st century. Hundreds of patients were constrained in the asylum for years without consent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of social psychiatry 2020-09, Vol.66 (6), p.593-599
Main Authors: Wang, Hung-Yu, Huang, Joh-Jong, Su, Shu-Fang, Hsu, Sheng-Hao, Chou, Li-Shiu, Chou, Frank Huang-Chih
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
21st century
Activities of daily living
Evidence-based medicine
Evidence-based practice
Evidence-based psychiatry
Family relations
Human rights
Infectious diseases
Legal rights
Malnutrition
Medical ethics
Mental health
Nutritional status
Occupational therapy
Professional practice
Psychiatry
Psychosis
Psychotic symptoms
Schizophrenia
Self care
Symptoms
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Summary:Background: As Taiwan’s Mental Health Act (MHA) clearly states that the human rights and legal rights of psychotic patients should be respected and guaranteed; however, a temple asylum violates the law in the 21st century. Hundreds of patients were constrained in the asylum for years without consent. Because of outbreak of infectious diseases, patients were evacuated from the asylum by the official intervention. Aims: To evaluate the outcomes of these patients from folk therapy to conventional treatment. Method: The study recruited the drug-naive psychotic patients constrained in an asylum for decades. Before and after the formal treatment, 253 patients were diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders with assessment of using the Mini Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (Mini-PANSS) and Comprehensive Occupational Therapy Evaluation (COTE) scale. In addition, family function, self-care ability and nutritional status were also evaluated. Results: The initial data show the improvement in psychotic symptoms and occupational function in these patients. Furthermore, the ratio of patients who were classified as being at risk for malnutrition was decreased by 21.7% after treatment. There was no statistically significant difference in self-care ability before and after treatment. Conclusion: The psychotic symptoms and occupational function of these patients were improved after the formal treatment compared to the folk therapy. The care model for the psychotic patients in the temple asylum should be more thoroughly discussed in consideration of the medical ethics principles.
ISSN:0020-7640
1741-2854
DOI:10.1177/0020764020924698