Help For Mental Health Problems Research Articles

Support, Depressive Symptoms, and the Stigma towards Seeking Mental Health Help

Although many individuals are affected by psychological disorders, few will seek professional help. Cultural perceptions might complicate this, as emotional suppression and shame of mental illness predominate in some cultures. This online study investigated factors contributing to the stigma of seeking help among Asian ( n =81) and Euro-Caucasian ( n =472) students. Depressive symptoms mediated relations between social support and self-stigma for seeking help for mental health problems, as well as for academic problems. The role of depression in the relation between social support and other-stigma of seeking mental health and academic help differed by cultural group, in that the relation between depressive symptoms and stigma was more pronounced among Asians, suggesting that targeted efforts may need to be directed at specific populations.

Experiences of Chinese Migrants Caring for Family Members With Schizophrenia in Australia

Little is known about the experience of Chinese migrants to Australia who are caring for a person with schizophrenia. The research was exploratory in nature, providing information on the health, help-seeking behaviors, burden, and caring experiences of Chinese carers of people with schizophrenia in Melbourne. Ethnic Chinese carers of people with schizophrenia were recruited. Health care or social service professionals were also interviewed to understand the context of Chinese migrants in seeking help for mental health problems and caring for someone with psychiatric illness. Recommendations for Chinese migrants facing mental health problems and challenges for social work practice are described.

Suicide, an Urgent Health Issue in Korea

Suicide, an Urgent Health Issue in Korea

Mental Health, Stigmatising Beliefs, Barriers to Care and Help-Seeking in a Non-Deployed Sample of UK Army Personnel

Introduction: Stigmatising beliefs about seeking help for mental health problems and perceived barriers to care (stigma/BTC) are commonplace among military personnel; how they influence help-seeking is unclear. Aim: To explore the role of stigma/BTC in mental health help-seeking among British Army personnel. Method: Randomly selected non-deployed personnel were assessed by questionnaire for mental health and alcohol use status, stigma/BTC levels, help-seeking and mental health related perceptions. Results: The response rate was 81.5% (n=484). 35.0% screened positive for harmful alcohol use, 25.2% for common mental disorder symptoms, and 12.4% for probable PTSD. 40.0% of symptomatic personnel had not sought help. 70.3% of alcohol misusers had not sought any form of help; over 80% of probable mental health cases believed that seeking support was helpful or necessary and required courage or strength. Non-medical help sources were accessed more frequently than military medical services. Stigma/BTC significantly affected probable mental health cases but not alcohol misusers. Greater stigmatisation/BTC were associated with both interest in and receiving support. Friends or family were the commonest preferred and actual help source; unit commanders were among the least preferred but were the second most commonly accessed help source. Conclusion: A substantial number of symptomatic personnel had not sought help. The highest levels of stigma/ BTC were most strongly associated with interest in receiving help. Perceptions of potential negative occupational and social consequences of help-seeking and current mental health status may influence the decision to seek support. Military stigma reduction strategies may need to focus upon reassuring personnel and their families that adverse consequences are not inevitable and that help-seeking from any source may be a useful step in addressing mental health problems. Alcohol misusers may benefit from a strategy that helps them to view their alcohol use as potentially socially and occupationally problematic.

Internet-Based Interventions to Promote Mental Health Help-Seeking in Elite Athletes: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundMental disorders are more common in young adults than at any other life stage. Despite this, young people have low rates of seeking professional help for mental health problems. Young elite athletes have less positive attitudes toward seeking help than nonathletes and thus may be particularly unlikely to seek help. Interventions aimed at increasing help-seeking in young elite athletes are warranted.ObjectiveTo test the feasibility and efficacy of three Internet-based interventions designed to increase mental health help-seeking attitudes, intentions, and behavior in young elite athletes compared with a control condition.MethodsWe conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of three brief fully automated Internet-based mental health help-seeking interventions with 59 young elite athletes recruited online in a closed trial in Australia. The interventions consisted of a mental health literacy and destigmatization condition, a feedback condition providing symptom levels, and a minimal content condition comprising a list of help-seeking resources, compared with a control condition (no intervention). We measured help-seeking attitudes, intentions and behavior using self-assessed surveys. Participation was open to elite athletes regardless of their mental health status or risk of mental illness.ResultsOf 120 athletes initially agreeing to participate, 59 (49%) submitted a preintervention or postintervention survey, or both, and were included in the present study. Adherence was satisfactory, with 48 (81%) participants visiting both weeks of assigned intervention material. None of the interventions yielded a significant increase in help-seeking attitudes, intentions, or behavior relative to control. However, at postintervention, there was a trend toward a greater increase in help-seeking behavior from formal sources for the mental health literacy/destigmatization condition compared with control (P = .06). This intervention was also associated with increased depression literacy (P = .003, P = .005) and anxiety literacy (P = .002, P = .001) relative to control at postintervention and 3-month follow-up, respectively, and a reduction in depression stigma relative to control at postintervention (P = .01, P = .12) and anxiety stigma at 3-month follow-up (P = .18, P = .02). The feedback and help-seeking list interventions did not improve depression or anxiety literacy or decrease stigmatizing attitudes to these conditions. However, the study findings should be treated with caution. Due to recruitment challenges, the achieved sample size fell significantly short of the target size and the study was underpowered. Accordingly, the results should be considered as providing preliminary pilot data only.ConclusionsThis is the first RCT of an Internet-based mental health help-seeking intervention for young elite athletes. The results suggest that brief mental health literacy and destigmatization improves knowledge and may decrease stigma but does not increase help-seeking. However, since the trial was underpowered, a larger trial is warranted.Trial Registration2009/373 (www.clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT00940732), cited at http://www.webcitation.org/5ymsRLy9r.

Evolution of public attitudes about mental illness: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

To explore whether the increase in knowledge about the biological correlates of mental disorders over the last decades has translated into improved public understanding of mental illness, increased readiness to seek mental health care and more tolerant attitudes towards mentally ill persons. A systematic review of all studies on mental illness-related beliefs and attitudes in the general population published before 31 March 2011, examining the time trends of attitudes with a follow-up interval of at least 2 years and using national representative population samples. A subsample of methodologically homogeneous studies was further included in a meta-regression analysis of time trends. Thirty-three reports on 16 studies on national time trends met our inclusion criteria, six of which were eligible for a meta-regression analysis. Two major trends emerged: there was a coherent trend to greater mental health literacy, in particular towards a biological model of mental illness, and greater acceptance of professional help for mental health problems. In contrast, however, no changes or even changes to the worse were observed regarding the attitudes towards people with mental illness. Increasing public understanding of the biological correlates of mental illness seems not to result in better social acceptance of persons with mental illness.

Research Area: Counselling

Cross-cultural research on attitudes toward seeking professional help for mental health problems emphasizes the major role played by traditional, collectivist type cultural values. Self-disclosure by people from non-Western backgrounds is little studied despite the emphasis in modern therapeutic approaches on self-disclosure. The present study examines the cultural aspects of self-disclosure and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among first and second-generation Greek Australians in Sydney (n = 106), Anglo-Celtic Australians (n = 35), and Greek Cypriots (n = 189). Participants ranged in age from 18 to over 70. A self-report survey measured individualism-collectivism, attitude toward seeking professional help, actual self-disclosure to a friend, hypothetical self disclosure to a counsellor, and social desirability. It was hypothesized that participants who were more collectivist would have less positive attitudes toward seeking professional help, and would be less likely to self-disclose. Results showed modest group, gender, age, generational, and educational level differences and also that participants in general were neither strongly individualistic nor strongly collectivist. Results also showed that all three groups did not differ in their attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, and that in general they did not have positive attitudes toward seeking professional help. There was a modest positive relationship between individualism and attitudes to seeking psychological help that confirms previous literature. As predicted, the Australian group was most likely to self-disclose. The study confirms that cultural factors affect attitudes toward seeking professional psychological health and willingness to self-disclose.

Contacts with mental health services before suicide: a comparison of Indigenous with non-Indigenous Australians

ObjectiveMost people who die by suicide never seek help, particularly members of ethnic minorities. This study compared the prevalence of contacts with mental health services, types of services accessed and factors related to help-seeking behaviors by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. MethodAll suicides by Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons from Queensland, Australia, during the period 1994–2007 were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. ResultsNon-Indigenous suicide cases were almost two times more likely than Indigenous counterparts to have ever received help for mental health problems (43.3% vs. 23.8%). The most common source of help for Indigenous persons was inpatient care, while for non-Indigenous persons, it was general practitioners. Factors increasing the likelihood of service utilization by Indigenous persons were suicide attempt in last year, living in metropolitan area and not being married. Among non-Indigenous persons, these factors were recent communication of suicidal intent or suicide attempt, recent treatment for physical illness and problematic consumption of alcohol. ConclusionsIndigenous Australians die by suicide at a rate twice higher than the non-Indigenous population, yet they are significantly less likely to seek professional help for mental health concerns. Help-seeking behavior among Indigenous Australians at risk of suicide should be promoted thorough provision of culturally appropriate services.

Young people, self-harm and internet forums

SummaryA generation of digital natives are living their lives in fundamentally different ways from previous generations. The rapid advance of the internet and mobile telephones, and the adoption of online social media, mean that substantial parts of the social lives of young people are played out in online settings. This has implications for how young people discuss and seek help for mental health problems. This commentary discusses the role of online forums for young people who self-harm. Practitioners need to understand the potential harms and benefits, and explore how benefits can be harnessed and harms minimised.

Factors Associated With Interest in Receiving Help for Mental Health Problems in Combat Veterans Returning From Deployment to Iraq

Mental health problems in service members often go untreated. This study focused on factors related to interest in receiving help in a survey sample of 577 combat veterans who were screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, or generalized anxiety disorder 3 months after returning from Iraq. Over three quarters of respondents recognized that they had a current problem, but only 40% were interested in receiving help. Interest in receiving help was associated with recognizing a problem and receiving mental health services in the past year. More negative attitudes toward mental health care were associated with lower interest in receiving help; paradoxically, more negative perceptions of unit stigma were associated with increased interest in receiving help. Further studies are needed to better define the relationship between stigma perceptions, interest in receiving care, and actual care utilization and to determine whether attitudes toward mental health care can be modified through changes in how care is delivered. Attitudes toward mental health care should be considered in treatment interventions.

Seeking professional help for mental health problems, among New Zealand secondary school students

Our aim was to investigate whether secondary school students with mental health problems sought help from general practitioners and to investigate whether mental illness type, socio-demographic variables, family, school and community factors were associated with seeking help. A randomly selected sample of 9699 secondary school students from across New Zealand participated in the Youth2000 Health and Wellbeing Survey. Data analysis included uni-variate and regression analyses. Having symptoms of anxiety (p<0.0001), depression (p<0.0001), and suicidal thoughts (p<0.0001) were associated with help seeking. However, 82%of students who had significant mental health problems had not sought help from a general practitioner. Rates of help seeking increased with age for girls and decreased with age for boys. Seeking help for mental health problems was also associated with living in a single parent family (p<0.0001), living in an over-crowded house (p=0.0006), and being well known by a teacher (p=0.0004). The majority of New Zealand secondary school students with mental health problems do not obtain the help they need from general practitioners. Given the prevalence of mental health problems, it is important to find ways of identifying adolescents with difficulties and encouraging them to seek help.

Adolescents' views about an internet platform for adolescents with mental health problems

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the needs and views of adolescents regarding the development of online support for mental health problems.Design/methodology/approachSemi‐structured qualitative focus group interviews were conducted with ten groups of Dutch adolescents (n=106), aged 12‐19 years, from four urban secondary schools offering different levels of education in the Southeastern part of The Netherlands. Interviews were verbally transcribed and analysed with Nvivo, using a classification based on the research questions.FindingsThe participants reported that they searched on the internet to get information or help for some mental health problems. They also expressed the need for a youth healthcare website offering information, self‐tests and anonymous help. They had different ideas about the layout of such a website, which were related to their educational level. Reliability of such a website was an important issue.Practical implicationsAdolescents reported a distinct need for online information and help for mental health problems. Youth healthcare organisations could meet this need by creating an innovative additional assistance method. These organisations should cooperate with website developers, taking into account that adolescents with different levels of education have different preferences regarding the interventions for online information and help.Originality/valueThis paper provides a conclusive examination of the needs and views of adolescents regarding development of online support for mental health problems.

A latent class analysis of psychosis-like experiences in the New Zealand Mental Health Survey

To describe the underlying structure of psychosis-like experiences in the New Zealand Mental Health Survey. A nationwide survey of household residents aged 16+ years was undertaken (n = 7435), using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (3.0), including a six question lifetime screener for psychosis. Participants were grouped in three ways: by the number of 'symptoms' (occurring when not dreaming, half-asleep or under the influences of drugs) and by latent classes derived from binary responses (no/yes) or ordinal responses (never/sub-threshold/few times/many times). Psychosis-like events were not uncommon (7.3%; 95% CIs 6.5-8.1), particularly experiences of visual (5.3%; 95% CIs 4.7-6.0) or auditory hallucinations (2.8%; 95% CIs 2.3-3.3). Both latent class analyses indicated a 'normal' class, a 'hallucinatory class' and a 'psychotic' class. The lifetime probability of anxiety, mood or substance disorders and the lifetime probability of seeking help for mental health problems increased from 'normal' to 'hallucinatory' to 'psychotic' classes and with the 'symptom' count. The presence of sub-threshold events and variation in the number of times a 'symptom' is experienced suggest a psychosis continuum. However, the latent classes labelled 'hallucinatory' and 'psychotic' differ markedly in symptomatology, which suggests some form of discrete clustering.

Preferences and intention of rural adolescents toward seeking help for mental health problems

INTRODUCTION In Australia, rural adolescents still face barriers to obtaining professional psychological help due to poor availability and accessibility of services in rural areas when delay in seeking help for mental health problems can lead to poorer treatment outcomes. The aims of this study were to: investigate the preferences and intentions of rural Australian youth towards seeking help for mental health problems; determine predictors of help-seeking intention among rural adolescents; and verify results from previous qualitative research on the barriers to help-seeking in a rural context. Participants were 201 adolescents recruited from 8 rural schools in the state of Victoria, Australia. Participants ranged in age from 11 to 18 years. Using the Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA+), approximately 149 participants were classified as currently living in an inner regional area of Victoria, whereas 52 participants lived in an outer regional area. Participants completed an open-ended survey of help-seeking intention. Overall, 55.7% of the sample indicated that they would seek help for a mental health problem. The majority of participants, regardless of subgroup, indicated that they would seek help for a mental health problem from a school counsellor as their first choice. Gender differences were observed such that males had a higher preference for seeking help from a psychologist than females. Furthermore, older adolescents were more likely to prefer seeking help from a GP than younger participants. A multivariate analysis of help-seeking intentions revealed that ARIA was the only predictor of help-seeking intention; however, when extreme scores of depression and anxiety were also taken into account, these also predicted help-seeking intention. A content analysis of the barriers to help-seeking nominated by participants revealed that perceived limited availability of professional services in towns, perceived social proximity and fear of rural gossip, and difficulties associated with travelling to obtain help were the most significant concerns for these youth. These findings verify previous research on help-seeking among rural youth and reinforce that these young people face additional barriers to help-seeking by virtue of living in a rural environment. The availability of services for rural youth needs to be improved, as do young people's knowledge of service availability and access (especially travel options). It must be taken into account that rural adolescents of different ages and sex may differ in their help-seeking preferences. Finally, mental health promotion work with rural youth should consider the influence of rural culture on help-seeking intentions.

Perceptions of Chinese Australians on Seeking Help for Mental Health Problems: A Qualitative Study

Studies in Australia and elsewhere have revealed under-use of mental health services by Chinese immigrants. To address this problem, community-based focus groups were conducted with participants fr...

Prisoner perspectives on mental health problems and help-seeking

Little is known about how prisoners perceive mental health problems or prospective sources of help. Applying a personal construct psychology approach, interviews were conducted with 12 adult male prisoners. Information from these interviews was used to construct a dependency grid, with problem situations on one axis, and possible help-sources on the other. A questionnaire containing this grid was completed by 177 prisoners. Recorded intentions to seek help from different sources varied considerably depending on the problem. Reasons given for help-source choice included the expected response, trust issues and perceived source skill level. Older participants recorded intentions to use a significantly narrower range of help-sources (χ2 (4, n = 168) = 9.57, p = 0.048) and greater intentions to use more formal help sources (χ2 (4, n = 162) = 12.73, p = 0.013). The study highlighted the importance of both formal and informal sources of help for mental health problems in prison, and suggested ways in which support might be improved.

Urban and Rural Immigrant Latino Youths’ and Adults’ Knowledge and Beliefs about Mental Health Resources

Immigrant Latino youth experience mental health problems in the U.S. Cultural beliefs and knowledge may influence help-seeking behaviors. Two hundred thirty-four immigrant Latino respondents between 12 and 44 years of age completed a questionnaire assessing knowledge of and cultural beliefs regarding mental health resources for adolescents, symptoms, and help-seeking. Multivariate analyses showed that rural respondents were significantly less likely to know of mental health resources than urban-based immigrant Latinos. Knowledge and belief outcomes were also affected by age, gender, and length of time living in the community. Immigrant Latinos appear willing to seek professional help for mental health problems but may not know how to access this type of care, or may lack available services. Future research to inform interventions that increase awareness of accessible mental health services is suggested. Findings support systems-level changes including increased availability of culturally-specific mental health services, especially in rural areas.

Seeking Help for Mental Health Problems outside the Conventional Health Care System: Results from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD)

In certain countries, it is not uncommon to turn to professionals outside the conventional health care system for psychological problems. As this situation is not well documented in Europe, we assessed use of nonconventional care for mental health in 6 European countries. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in representative samples of noninstitutionalized adults in 6 European countries. Participants (n = 8796) completed a survey, which included, among other items, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 and in-depth questions about lifetime consultations for mental health problems. Among the respondents (n = 2928) who reported having already sought help in their lifetime for psychological problems (20.0%), 8.6% turned to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers, such as chiropractors and herbalists, and a similar proportion (8.4%) to religious advisers such as ministers, priests, or rabbis. Only a small proportion (2.9%) consulted only these professionals for their problems. CAM providers were more frequently used in the Netherlands (13.5%) and Germany (9.4%), while religious advisers were more often consulted in Italy (12.6%) and Germany (11.6%). Multivariate analyses confirmed differences between countries and revealed that people turning to religious advisers tended to be older, foreign born, and with alcohol problems, whereas those consulting CAM providers were younger, wealthier, and more frequently depressed. In Europe, patients who turn to CAM therapists and those who seek help from religious advisers for psychological problems are not exactly the same. In addition, these professionals are not consulted frequently in most countries, and are almost always associated with more traditional follow-up when used.

Adolescents’ beliefs about sources of help for ADHD and depression

The peer group begins to become a source of support during late childhood and adolescence making it important to understand what type of help young people might suggest to a friend with an emotional or behavioral problem. Three groups of young people participated in the study with average ages of 12 (N = 107), 14 (N = 153) and 16 years (N = 133). All participants were presented with vignettes describing fictional peers, two of whom had symptoms of clinical problems (ADHD and depression) and a third comparison peer without symptoms. Results indicate that all participants distinguished between clinical and comparison vignette characters and they believed that the characters with clinical symptoms needed help. The 16-year-olds were more likely to differentiate between the two clinical vignettes in terms of the type of help suggested. The results are discussed in light of previous research on adolescents’ understanding of sources of help for mental health problems.

Conceptualising the functional role of mental health consultation–liaison nurse in multi-morbidity, using Peplau’s nursing theory

This paper examines the mental health consultation–liaison nursing (MHCLN) role and links this to the interpersonal relations theory of nurse theorist Hildegard Peplau. The paper argues that, as mental health nursing care around the world is increasingly focused upon meaningful therapeutic engagement, the role of the MHCLN is important in helping to reduce distressing symptoms, reduce the stigma for seeking help for mental health problems and enhancing mental health literacy among generalist nurses. The paper presents a small case exemplar to demonstrate interpersonal relations theory as an engagement process, providing patients with methodologies which allow them to work through the internal dissonance that exists in relation to their adjustment to changes in life roles precipitated by physical illness. This dissonance can be seen in the emergence of anxiety, depression and abnormal/psychogenic illness behaviours. This paper concludes arguing for considerable effort being given to the nurse–patient relationship that allows for the patient having freedom to use strategies that may help resolve the dissonance that exists.