Experiences of patients with depression who are receiving psychotherapy in selected public hospitals in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

Background Psychotherapy is one of the methods used to treat patients diagnosed with depression. Results of quantitative research on psychotherapy supported the assumption that generally, there is insignificant progress in the outcome of psychotherapy. The question of the influence of psychotherapy orientation on treatment effectiveness has been long-standing and debated. There is a gap of knowledge on the effectiveness of psychotherapy from a patient’s point of view. Aim of the study The study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of patients with depression who are receiving psychotherapy in selected public hospitals in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and to make recommendations to improve patients’ experiences of psychotherapy. Methodology A qualitative research design, with a descriptive phenomenological approach, was employed in the study. The study was conducted at three different public hospitals selected at eThekwini district in KZN. A minimum of 17 participants were selected from these hospitals, using a maximum variation sampling technique. This study utilised one-on-one, semi-structured in-depth interviews, using open-ended questions to collect data from participants. Colaizzi’s method of data analysis was used to identify themes. Findings Five themes emerged from the analysed data, namely an understanding of psychotherapy, benefits of psychotherapy sessions, challenges with consultation, socio-cultural taboos and beliefs and therapeutic outcomes. The findings of this study indicated that South Africa's government hospitals are still faced with the challenge of providing adequate mental health services. Nonetheless, participants also acknowledged the positive outcomes of their experiences of psychotherapy. Participants admitted that after psychotherapy, there were behavioral and attitude changes and that they had a more positive view of life, regardless of the challenges they encountered. Conclusion Although the findings indicated the significant impact of undergoing psychotherapy, there is still a need to address the gap of the imbalanced ratio of psychologists to patients in South Africa. It was recommended that the Department of Health should integrate mental health into primary health care facilities to balance the shortage of psychotherapy services. Additionally, a coordinating body is needed to oversee public education in South Africa on mental health and mental disorders to reduce the stigma of seeking psychotherapy interventions.