Abstract
Good treatment uptake is essential for clinically effective interventions to be fully utilised. Numerous studies have examined barriers to help-seeking for mental health treatment and to a lesser extent, facilitators. However, much of the current research focuses on changing help-seeking attitudes, which often do not lead to changes in behaviour. There is a clear gap in the literature for interventions that successfully change help-seeking behaviour among the general public. This gap is particularly relevant for early intervention. Here we describe the development of a new model which combines facilitators to treatment and an engaging, acceptable intervention for the general public. It is called the ‘PLACES’ (Publicity, Lay, Acceptable, Convenient, Effective, Self-referral) model of treatment engagement. It is based on theoretical work, as well as empirical research on a low intensity psychoeducational cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention: one-day workshops for stress and depression. In this paper, we describe the development of the model and the results of its use among four different clinical groups (adults experiencing stress, adults experiencing depression, adolescents (age 16–18) experiencing stress, and mothers with postnatal depression). We recorded high rates of uptake by people who have previously not sought help and by racial and ethnic minority groups across all four of these clinical groups. The clinical and research implications and applications of this model are discussed.
Highlights
It is estimated that 17% of the adult population in England have mental health problems [1]
Severity Just under 50% scored above the threshold for anxiety problems on the Revised Child and Anxiety Scale (RCADS)-anxiety subscale, and just over 25% scored over the threshold for depression on the MFQ [26]
We have presented the implementation findings of the ‘PLACES’ model (Publicity, Lay, Acceptable, Convenient (Perceived) Effectiveness, Self-referral) of treatment engagement
Summary
It is estimated that 17% of the adult population in England have mental health problems [1]. No changes in help-seeking behaviour were found among the general public or among children or adolescents This is important because they will often experience some troubling symptoms but may be unsure about what these mean, may try to cope with the problems themselves or may feel reluctant to seek help from a professional. This demonstrates a major gap in the literature regarding interventions aiming to improve help-seeking behaviour among the general public, adults and children or adolescents. The interventions have been shown to be effective and are separately reported for stress [24], depression [25], adolescents [26], and with mothers affected by postnatal depression [27]
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