Early recognition of the signs and symptoms of psychiatric illnesses is important as the delay would predict worse prognosis.

To study the help-seeking behavior and sociodemographic factors of psychiatric patients presenting to Psychiatric Unit Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya.

A descriptive cross sectional study. Sample drawn from patients presenting for the first time to Psychiatric Unit Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data.

Age ranged from 13 to 76 years (n=50). Males 34 (68%). Duration from onset of symptoms to first presentation ranged from 2 days to nine years, mean 2 years. Twenty-five (50%) had symptoms for more than one year. Sixteen (32%) stated to have attributed illness to supernatural courses as the reason to delay seeking medical help. None gave difficulty in accessing a psychiatric unit as reason for the delay. Twenty-six (52%) referred by nonpsychiatric medical professionals. Regarding alternative treatment engaged in prior to presentation to a psychiatric unit, eighteen (36%) tried to dispose of evil spirits with the help of yakaduru or kattadi, seven (14%) sought help from indigenous medical practitioners and twenty (40%) engaged in religious rituals. Thirteen (26%) sought nonpsychiatric medical treatment.

A substantial number of patients suffering from psychiatric disorders present to psychiatric units delayed. As the majority were referred by nonpsychiatric medical professionals, alerting them regarding importance of early identification of psychiatric illnesses could help in reducing the delay.