Subjective satisfaction of the population with the psychotherapeutic service in Russia: a study in 2024.

Relevance. The subjective satisfaction of a patient, especially a patient with mental health problems, is a factor influencing the course of the disease, and the presence of barriers to receiving medical care provided by psychotherapists is confirmed by scientific research and requires further study. The purpose of the study: identification of biases and attitudes of the population of the Russian Federation about the availability and quality of psychotherapeutic care. Materials and methods. He study was based on conducting an observational one-step study using a questionnaire on barriers affecting the receipt/non-receipt of medical care provided by psychotherapists by the population. The sample represents the population of the Russian Federation by gender, age, and education level. The sample size was 1,686 people. Analytical, sociological and statistical methods were used. Results. The main barriers to contacting psychiatrists and psychotherapists were the legal and procedural aspects of providing care related to fear of stigmatization and legal consequences. It was revealed that receiving information about mental health during consultations with a psychotherapist increased the likelihood of satisfaction with the help provided. According to the survey results, about half of the cases of visits to a psychotherapist were initiated by the respondents and related to the treatment of mental disorders or solving mental health problems, while 30% of respondents had experience interacting with a specialist once or twice, and 18% – on a regular basis. Some of the respondents did not distinguish between a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist. Conclusion. This study showed a fairly high level of subjective assessment of satisfaction with the medical care provided by psychotherapists in our country, with high satisfaction with both the attitude of psychotherapists and the rest of the medical staff towards patients. The study identified barriers existing in people’s minds to seeking psychotherapeutic help, which will allow for targeted work to inform the public in order to remove the identified barriers.