Although the onset of mental disorders o#en occur dur ing adolescence and youth, many teenagers and youths do not seek help, having the low mental health literacy in!uence over the early recognition of the disorder and the help-seeking behaviors. In Portugal, there were no studies that evaluate mental health literacy of teenagers and youths. In the scope of the project “Mental Health Education and Sensibilization: A School-based Intervention Program for Adolescents and Young” (PTDC/ CPE-CED/112546/2009) a questionnaire is being applied with the aim of evaluate the mental health literacy of teenagers and youths. $e QuALiSMental is the translated and adapted version of the Survey of Mental Health Literacy in Young People ‐ Interview Version (Jorm, 1997; 2000) and has three vignettes describing a ctitious person with symptoms of depression, schizo phrenia and abuse of substances (alcohol), respectively. $e objective of this article is to characterize, starting from the results of QuALiSMental, the ability of the Portuguese youths living in the center of Portugal and that nished the 12o year in 2011 identify depression af ter reading a vignette as well as their beliefs about the help seeking for this situation. $e data were collected from a cluster sample and this selection, although randomized, considerate the geographical and urban, semi urban and rural representativeness. It was veried that 32% of the sample identied accurately depression and that the intention of help seeking is 66, 3%. $e limi tations we have identied in mental health literacy of adolescents and youths can explain the non-recognition of the mental disturb and delays in help-seeking, which leads to longer treatments. Actions of education and awareness of mental health with adolescents and youths are needed, preferably school-based.