scholarly journals Children of adults with severe mental illness: mental health, help seeking and service use

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki Cowling ◽  
Ernest S. L. Luk ◽  
Cristea Mileshkin ◽  
Peter Birleson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Case Managers ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Childhood Mental Health ◽  
Scale Scores

Aims and MethodWe aimed to determine the prevalence of childhood mental health problems in children of parents registered with an Australian area mental health service, and to study the parents' help-seeking and service use for their children. Parents were recruited through their case managers, and asked to complete the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Service Utilisation Questionnaire and the Help-seeking Questionnaire.ResultsA quarter of the children were in the clinical range of the SDQ total scores, with high sub-scale scores. However, 63% of the parents reported reluctance to seek help, and 19% reported not using services.Clinical ImplicationsChildren of parents with mental illness are at higher risk of childhood psychiatric disorders. Assessment of the child at the time of referral of the parent is an opportunity for problem identification, parental education, and early intervention.

Stigma and Poor Mental Health Literacy As Barriers to Service Use Among Unemployed People With Mental Illness – A Qualitative Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S487-S487 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Staiger ◽  
T. Waldmann ◽  
S. Krumm ◽  
N. Rüsch
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Unemployed People

Introduction/objectivesMental health problems were shown by different studies to be both: results of and risk factors for unemployment. However, unemployed people with mental health problems often have difficulties in finding and using mental health services and therefore do not benefit from therapies. Because unemployed individuals outside the healthcare system are a hard-to-reach group, barriers to but also facilities for mental health services are poorly understood.AimsThe aim of the study is to identify barriers and facilitators of help seeking and service use, based on experiences of unemployed people with mental health strains.MethodsWe conducted 15 qualitative semi-structured interviews with unemployed individuals, facing self-reported mental health problems or mental illness. Topics included individual experiences with help-seeking and mental health service use, with a focus on barriers and facilitators. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and major themes were identified.ResultsPatients fear adverse reactions of psychiatric medication. They report to be treated as “different” by their social environment and health professionals, which leads to a lack of self-esteem and inhibits them in their help seeking efforts. Social support and desire for change on the other hand can be strong motivational factors in searching for help.ConclusionPerception of GPs towards mental health issues of their patients, and especially unemployed patients, has to be raised. Stigmatization of mental illnesses and help seeking should be reduced in practical context.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Online screening and feedback to increase help-seeking for mental health problems: population-based randomised controlled trial

BJPsych Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Batterham ◽  
Alison L. Calear ◽  
Matthew Sunderland ◽  
Natacha Carragher ◽  
Jacqueline L. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Negative Effect

BackgroundCommunity-based screening for mental health problems may increase service use through feedback to individuals about their severity of symptoms and provision of contacts for appropriate services.AimsThe effect of symptom feedback on service use was assessed. Secondary outcomes included symptom change and study attrition.MethodUsing online recruitment, 2773 participants completed a comprehensive survey including screening for depression (n=1366) or social anxiety (n=1407). Across these two versions, approximately half (n=1342) of the participants were then randomly allocated to receive tailored feedback. Participants were reassessed after 3 months (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ANZCTR12614000324617).ResultsA negative effect of providing social anxiety feedback to individuals was observed, with significant reductions in professional service use. Greater attrition and lower intentions to seek help were also observed after feedback.ConclusionsOnline mental health screening with feedback is not effective for promoting professional service use. Alternative models of online screening require further investigation.

scholarly journals Shame, perceived knowledge and satisfaction associated with mental health as predictors of attitude patterns towards help-seeking

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Rüsch ◽  
M. Müller ◽  
V. Ajdacic-Gross ◽  
S. Rodgers ◽  
P.W. Corrigan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Service Use ◽  
Psychiatric Medication ◽  
Perceived Knowledge ◽  
Professional Help

Aims.To examine stigma- and knowledge-related barriers to help-seeking among members of the general population.Methods.In a representative survey of young to middle-aged Swiss adults (n = 8875), shame about a potential own mental illness, perceived knowledge about and satisfaction with one's mental health, psychiatric symptoms and attitudes towards help-seeking were assessed.Results.A latent profile analysis of all participants yielded two groups with different attitudes towards help-seeking. Relative to the majority, a one-in-four subgroup endorsed more negative attitudes towards seeking professional help, including psychiatric medication, and was characterized by more shame, less perceived knowledge, higher satisfaction with their mental health, younger age, male gender and lower education. Among participants with high symptom levels (n = 855), a third subgroup was reluctant to seek help in their private environment and characterized by high symptoms as well as low satisfaction with their mental health.Conclusions.Shame as an emotional proxy of self-stigma as well as poor subjective mental health literacy may be independent barriers to help-seeking. Interventions to increase mental health service use could focus on both variables and on those individuals with more negative views about professional help, in the general public as well as among people with a current mental illness.

scholarly journals Licensing and Physician Mental Health: Problems and Possibilities

2007 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-11
Author(s):  
Herbert Hendin ◽  
Charles Reynolds ◽  
Dan Fox ◽  
Steven I. Altchuler ◽  
Phillip Rodgers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Psychiatric Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Medical License

ABSTRACT A number of factors appear to discourage physicians from seeking help for mental illness. This reluctance may be exacerbated by fears – well-founded or imagined – that by seeking help, physicians may put their medical license in jeopardy. To examine this risk, an analysis of all state medical board (SMB) license applications was followed by a seven-item survey mailed to SMB executive directors, and 70 percent responded. Follow up interviews were conducted with a sample of those not responding and also with a small group of directors whose responses were problematic. Thirteen of the 35 SMBs responding indicated that the diagnosis of mental illness by itself was sufficient for sanctioning physicians. The same states indicated that they treat physicians receiving psychiatric care differently than they do physicians receiving medical care. In follow-up interviews all 13 indicated that without evidence of impairment or misrepresentation any such sanctioning was likely to be temporary. A significant percentage (37 percent) of states sanction or have the ability to sanction physicians on the basis of information revealed on the licensing application about the presence of a psychiatric condition rather than on the basis of impairment. The same percentage state they treat physicians receiving psychiatric care differently than they do those receiving medical care. Physicians’ perceptions of this apparent discrimination is likely to play a role in their reluctance to seek help for mental health-related conditions. Suggestions are made for how SMBs and state physician health programs and state and county medical societies might collaborate in ways that while protecting patients decreases barriers to physicians help seeking.

Role of Stigma and Attitudes Toward Help-Seeking from a General Practitioner for Mental Health Problems in a Rural Town

2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 514-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Wrigley ◽  
Henry Jackson ◽  
Fiona Judd ◽  
Angela Komiti
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Help ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Perceived Stigma ◽  
Professional Psychological Help ◽  
Mental Health Issues

Objective: To examine the role of perceived stigma and attitudes to seeking care in predicting help-seeking from a general practitioner (GP) for mental health problems. Method: Across-sectional surveyin 2002 with self-repor t questionnaires assessing current levels of symptomatology, disability, attitudes towards mental illness, knowledge of prevalence and causes of mental illness, contact with mental illness and help-seeking behaviour and preferences and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. Results: No significant relationship was found between symptom measures and measures of disability and help-seeking. Variables positively associated with general attitudes to seeking professional psychological help were: lower perceived stigma, and biological rather than person-based causal attributions for schizophrenia. Willingness to discuss mental health issues with a GP was predicted by the perceived helpfulness of the GP and by no other variable. Conclusions: Causal attributions and perceivedstigma rather than participants' levels of symptomatology and disability influence attitudes to help-seeking for mental health issues. Efforts to improve attitudes to help-seeking should focus on reducing stigma and improving mental health literacy regarding the causes of disorders.

Recall of News Stories About Mental Illness by Australian Youth: Associations with Help-Seeking Attitudes and Stigma

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 866-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy J. Morgan ◽  
Anthony F. Jorm
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
News Story ◽  
Help Seeking Attitudes ◽  
News Stories ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Willingness To Seek Help

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate what news stories about mental illness are recalled by Australian youth and whether these are associated with stigma and help-seeking beliefs. Method: A random sample of 3746 Australian youth aged 12–25 years were interviewed about mental health literacy in 2006. As part of the interview, they were asked whether they could recall any news stories about mental health problems during the past 12 months. Stigma was assessed, as well as willingness to seek help for a mental illness described in a vignette. Common news story themes were entered as predictors of stigma components and willingness to seek help in a series of logistic regressions. Results: Only a minority of youth could recall a news story about mental illness. The most common stories recalled were those involving crime or violence; mental health system failures; or disclosures of mental illness by prominent individuals. Recall of a disclosure by a prominent individual was associated with beliefs that people with mental illness are sick rather than weak, while recall of a story involving crime or violence was associated with greater reluctance to tell anyone about a mental health problem. There were no types of stories that predicted willingness to seek help. Conclusions: There is some evidence that recall of positive or negative news stories is associated with specific components of stigma. Overall, however, recall of news stories about mental illness added little explanatory power to differences in stigma or help-seeking intentions.

scholarly journals Exploring presentation differences in multi-cultural youth seeking assistance for mental health problems

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephane Shepherd ◽  
Cieran Harries ◽  
Benjamin Spivak ◽  
Anne-Sophie Pichler ◽  
Rosemary Purcell
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
History Of

Abstract Background Mental ill-health can impact an individual’s capacity to interact with others, make decisions, and cope with social challenges. This is of particular importance for many Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) individuals who may be at various stages of the acculturation process. The increasing diversity of the Australian population necessitates informed and culturally relevant services that meet the needs of a changing demographic. However the extant research on the mental health needs of CALD Australians is limited. This study aimed to further our understanding of the mental health needs of young CALD Australians by exploring the mental health concerns and social factors exhibited by CALD individuals accessing community based youth mental health services in two major cities. Methods We performed a series of logistic regression models to ascertain if a concert of factors (i.e., clinical, socio-economic, criminal justice system involvement, child maltreatment, social support) were associated with CALD status Results Comparisons across factors revealed no significant differences between groups. A small number of correlates differentiated between CALD and non-CALD participants (mental illness diagnosis during childhood, family history of mental illness/suicide, sensation seeking, sensitivity to punishment, maternal overprotection) however these factors were no longer meaningful after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Conclusions In help-seeking mainstream youth populations, cultural differences across clinical and environmental factors appear to be minimal.

scholarly journals A Structural Equation Modeling of Mental Health Literacy in Healthcare Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13264
Author(s):  
Chia-Min Lu ◽  
Yin-Ju Lien ◽  
Hsing-Jung Chao ◽  
Hui-Shin Lin ◽  
I-Chuan Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Help Seeking Attitudes ◽  
Healthcare Students

Background: There is a high prevalence of mental illness among healthcare students, and most students with mental health problems are reluctant to seek help from mental health professionals. Help-seeking is a component of mental health literacy (MHL). Although MHL is conceptualized as multi-dimensional, a theory-based multi-construct of MHL is still lacking. We aimed to build a theory-based multi-construct of MHL to explore the pathways of help-seeking. Methods: The data were obtained from a survey on MHL among healthcare students in 2018 (n = 1294). The Mental Health Literacy Scale for Healthcare Students was used to measure the maintenance of positive mental health, recognition of mental illness, mental illness stigma attitudes, help-seeking efficacy, and help-seeking attitudes. Descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted. Results: The findings of the SEM model indicated recognition of mental illness had a positive direct effect on both help-seeking efficacy and maintenance of positive mental health. Additionally, help-seeking efficacy fully mediated the relationship between recognition of mental illness and help-seeking attitudes. Conclusions: Help-seeking efficacy plays a significant role in healthcare students’ willingness to seek professional help when mental health care is needed. Accordingly, improving help-seeking efficacy strategies would increase the use of mental health services and contribute to the prevention of mental health problems.

scholarly journals Predictors of help-seeking behaviour in people with mental health problems: a 3-year prospective community study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin M. Doll ◽  
Chantal Michel ◽  
Marlene Rosen ◽  
Naweed Osman ◽  
Benno G. Schimmelmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Community Study ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Anticipated Stigma

Abstract Background The majority of people with mental illness do not seek help at all or only with significant delay. To reduce help-seeking barriers for people with mental illness, it is therefore important to understand factors predicting help-seeking. Thus, we prospectively examined potential predictors of help-seeking behaviour among people with mental health problems (N = 307) over 3 years. Methods Of the participants of a 3-year follow-up of a larger community study (response rate: 66.4%), data of 307 (56.6%) persons with any mental health problems (age-at-baseline: 16–40 years) entered a structural equation model of the influence of help-seeking, stigma, help-seeking attitudes, functional impairments, age and sex at baseline on subsequent help-seeking for mental health problems. Results Functional impairment at baseline was the strongest predictor of follow-up help-seeking in the model. Help-seeking at baseline was the second-strongest predictor of subsequent help-seeking, which was less likely when help-seeking for mental health problems was assumed to be embarrassing. Personal and perceived stigma, and help-seeking intentions had no direct effect on help-seeking. Conclusions With only 22.5% of persons with mental health problems seeking any help for these, there was a clear treatment gap. Functional deficits were the strongest mediator of help-seeking, indicating that help is only sought when mental health problems have become more severe. Earlier help-seeking seemed to be mostly impeded by anticipated stigma towards help-seeking for mental health problems. Thus, factors or beliefs conveying such anticipated stigma should be studied longitudinally in more detail to be able to establish low-threshold services in future.

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