Abstract
BackgroundMental health problems among young people is a worldwide public health concern. There has been an increase in mental health problems among young people in the Nordic countries in the last 25 years, particularly in Sweden. Despite this increase, international research has repeatedly shown that young people do not access or receive support when encountering mental health problems. The purpose of this study was to explore the process of help-seeking for professional support among young people with mental health problems.MethodsThe study used qualitative constructivist Grounded Theory and open-ended interviews. Thirteen young people between 15 and 23, recruited from two local support clinics, were interviewed.ResultsLost in space emerged as the core category, capturing aspects of both the experience of self and mental health problems as well as the process of seeking and acquiring help from professional support systems. The study identified several prominent barriers for seeking and acquiring professional help for mental health problems. The young people expressed a lack of knowledge on mental health issues and support services and substantial efforts were made to try to cope with problems on one’s own. Lost in space involved Drifting - trying to make sense of own experiences and struggling to cope with problems, Navigating - searching for help through multiple attempts and contacts and Docking - finding support with something/somebody that feels right.ConclusionsThe theoretical model sheds light on how young people with mental health problems were met with fragmented support services. Society needs to provide encompassing, youth-friendly and flexible support services, so that attempts at help-seeking are not missed.
Highlights
IntroductionThere has been an increase in mental health problems among young people in the Nordic countries in the last 25 years, in Sweden
Mental health problems among young people is a worldwide public health concern
Research on help-seeking has been geared towards young people with psychiatric illness and less towards those with milder forms of mental health problems [13]
Summary
There has been an increase in mental health problems among young people in the Nordic countries in the last 25 years, in Sweden. Despite this increase, international research has repeatedly shown that young people do not access or receive support when encountering mental health problems. Research on help-seeking has been geared towards young people with psychiatric illness and less towards those with milder forms of mental health problems [13]. This is contradictory, as young people with more severe forms of mental health problems are easier to identify and more often referred to appropriate care, whereas young people with milder forms of mental health problems often need to rely on their own resources for accessing help [13]
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