Investigating the Stress Levels of Mental Health Professionals in the Process of Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Disorders Based on the Kuhlthau's Model

The aim of this study was investigating the stress levels of mental health professionals in the process of diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders based on the Kuhlthau's Information Search Process (ISP). The present study was an applied research project and used a quasi-experimental method. The population consists of psychologists and psychiatrists with more than two years of treatment experience. The sample includes 30 therapists who are chosen in a public call during a competition called Top Therapists. The competition was held at Atieh Clinic in 2018. To gather data, some tools such as Questionnaire, Stress Response Evaluation, and Morae software were used. The findings show that the therapists, contrary to the Kuhlthau's view, experience a certain amount of stress at all stages of Kuhlthau's ISP. This level of stress, which is significantly different from the baseline stress of therapists, does not change considerably in most stages of Kuhlthau's ISP. This stress is seen as a useful and effective one, based on the focus and excitement of the therapists in the diagnosis and treatment process. In addition, all demographic variables except gender may have a significant effect on stress. Finally, it can be concluded that by relying on modern neuroscience and information technology tools, one can provide a better understanding of the moment-by-moment process of therapists' information seeking behavior.