SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASE AND FAMILY-PLANNING COUNSELING OF PSYCHIATRIC-PATIENTS IN NEW-ZEALAND

Objective: We aimed to determine the attitudes and behaviours ct menta l health professionals (MHPs) including psychiatrists towards identify ing and reducing their own patients' risk for sexually transmitted dis eases and unwanted pregnancies. Method: 102 of all of the 162 mental h earth professionals serving predominantly chronically psychiatrically ill adult outpatients and inpatients in Waitemata district responded t o an anonymous questionnaire (response rate = 63%), concerning their o wn attitudes and behaviours towards identifying and counselling patien ts on their risk for sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregna ncies. Results: Mental health professionals reported that, on average, they had counselled 14% of their own male patients and 21% of their o wn female patients on sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS pr evention, and that more of their own patients were at risk than were c ounselled. They also reported that they had counselled 5% of their own male patients and 17% of their own female patients about family plann ing. Forty-two per cent of mental health professionals indicated that they had insufficient knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases to educate patients, 72% indicated that when it came to risky sexual beh aviours chronic psychiatric patients were much the same as other peopl e, and 33% or more felt uncomfortable discussing topics of condom use and patients' sexual preferences. Conclusion: These results suggest th at family planning and sexually transmitted diseases risk preventive i nterventions for psychiatric patients need to overcome mental health p rofessionals' own barriers to risk prevention.