Introduction: Access to mental health (MH) services is unequal worldwide and changes are required in this respect.
Objectives: Our aim was to identify the delay to the first psychiatry consult and to understand patients' characteristics and perspectives on the factors that may influence the delay, among a sample of participants from three Southeastern European Countries.
Materials and methods: The WHO Pathway Encounter Form questionnaire was applied in 400 patients "new cases" and a questionnaire on the factors influencing the access was administered to the same patients, as well as to their caretakers and MH providers.
Result and discussions: The average profile of the patient "new case" was: married female older than 40 years, with an average economic status and no MH history. The mean delay was up to 3 months and the most important factors that were influencing the delay were stigma and lack of knowledge regarding MH problems and available current treatments.
Conclusions: Future policies trying to improve the access to psychiatric care should focus on increasing awareness about MH problems in the general population.
Keywords: Access; Europe; Factors; Mental health services.