Analysis of the Therapists’ Information Behavior in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders based on Kuhlthau's information retrieval process model

Background and Aim: Under the influence of various factors, people use different methods and methods to obtain information and express different information behaviors. These behaviors have been introduced in the form of patterns and models of information retrieval by information science experts in recent decades, which can be used in various fields. One of these areas that almost all people are directly or indirectly involved in is the field of treatment and medicine.    Methods: This paper whit quasi-experimental examines the Analysis of information behavior of psychotherapists in the process of diagnosing and treating mental disorders based on the Kuhlthau information search process model. The population of this study is psychologists and psychiatrists with more than two years of treatment history. The sample selected from this group also includes 30 therapists who entered the competition through a public call as a top therapist using a simple sampling method.  Results: The findings show that the sequence of therapistschr('39') movements is in accordance with Kuhlthauchr('39')s opinion and they perform a repetitive movement in the diagnosis and treatment process, but the level of presence of therapists (time spent) differs at different stages from the model considered by Kuhlthau. The findings also showed that variables such as treatment history, field of study, and gender could influence the behavior of therapists. On the other hand, the relationship between the information of the therapistschr('39') information behavior and variables such as information literacy, state anxiety and trait, specialized knowledge and self-assessment of therapists was significantly evaluated.     Conclusion: The information behavior that a treatment specialist performs in his or her treatment process can be analyzed according to the Kuhlthau model.