OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) utilization among Iranian patients referred to psychiatric clinics with self-reported insomnia. It also sought to explore demographic characteristics, attitude of the patients to CAM, the factors influencing patients' decision to use CAM, and factors thought to be linked to the adoption of CAM in this patient population.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2023 and October 2023 on 217 patients at outpatient academic psychiatric clinics affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Data was collected using the Persian version of the international questionnaire to measure use of complementary and alternative medicine (I-CAM-IR), assessing CAM usage, motives, specific modalities, and sources of exposure. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze demographic characteristics, while Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations between demographic factors and CAM usage.

RESULTS

A total of 217 patients were initially recruited for the study; however, 12 participants were excluded due to incomplete or invalid data, resulting in a final sample of 205 participants included in the analysis. Of 205 participants, 68.3% reported CAM use, with herbal medicines (73.6%), Persian medicine (45.7%), vitamins and minerals (43.6%), and cupping (10.7%) being prominent modalities. Significant associations were observed between CAM use and demographic factors such as age (P = 0.006), gender (P < 0.001), education (P = 0.006), occupation (P = 0.002), father and mother education levels (P < 0.001, P = 0.015), and family income (P = 0.019). Most CAM users (78.1%) did not inform healthcare providers about their CAM use, with perceived effectiveness mainly focused on health promotion (80.6%).

CONCLUSION

This study reveals a substantial prevalence of CAM utilization among insomnia patients in psychiatric clinics of Iran, with demographic factors influencing CAM use. Healthcare providers should consider incorporating discussions about CAM into insomnia management strategies and be prepared to address patient preferences for complementary treatments. Future research should further explore the impact and outcomes of CAM utilization in managing insomnia to optimize patient care in psychiatric settings.