Associations between ability to recognise a mental health disorder and lived experience of mental illness in an Australian sample.

Abstract

Community awareness of mental illness is crucial for helping people access mental health support. The association between ability to recognise mental health disorders and lived experience is not well examined in Australian populations. Australian adults (n = 1265) provided responses to a vignette depicting a person with depression and self-reported a previous diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety. People who had lived experience with depression and/or anxiety had significantly higher levels of this aspect of mental health literacy than people without lived experience. Public mental health literacy promotion efforts should consider incorporating insights from people with lived experience of mental illness.