Large-scale manipulation of promoter DNA methylation reveals context-specific transcriptional responses and stability.

Background: Cytosine DNA methylation is widely described as a transcriptional repressive mark with the capacity to silence promoters. Epigenome engineering techniques enable direct testing of the effect of induced DNA methylation on endogenous promoters; however, the downstream effects have not yet been comprehensively assessed.

Results: Here, we simultaneously induce methylation at thousands of promoters in human cells using an engineered zinc finger-DNMT3A fusion protein, enabling us to test the effect of forced DNA methylation upon transcription, chromatin accessibility, histone modifications, and DNA methylation persistence after the removal of the fusion protein.

How can the utilisation of help for mental disorders be improved? A quasi-experimental online study on the changeability of stigmatising attitudes and intermediate variables in the process of utilisation.

Background: Epidemiological studies show that even in highly developed countries many people with depression do not seek help for their mental health issues, despite promising prevention approaches encouraging people to seek help and reduce self-stigma. Therefore, an anti-stigma intervention study to support help-seeking behaviour will be developed on the basis of the newly explicated "Seeking Mental Health Care Model".

Methods: A quasi-experimental online study will be carried out to assess the effect of different intervention variables relevant for the help-seeking process.

Ready, Willing and Able? An Investigation of the Theory of Planned Behaviour in Help-Seeking for a Community Sample with Current Untreated Depressive Symptoms.

Applying health behaviour change models, such as the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), to help-seeking for mental health problems can address the deficit in health care utilisation. However, previous studies largely focused on help-seeking intentions and not behaviour, which might be problematic due to the intention-behaviour gap. Hence, TPB and help-seeking were examined in a German community sample with current untreated depressive symptoms: 188 adults (M = 50.

Shame, self-identification with having a mental illness, and willingness to seek help in northeast Germany.

We examined a general population sample (n = 1330) from an epidemiological study (SHIP), investigating whether shame, social distance and reluctance to self-identify as having a mental illness interfere with willingness to seek help for mental health problems. Analyses were stratified for life-time diagnosis of any mental illness. Shame was the strongest negative predictor for willingness to seek help (beta = -0.

Self-labeling as having a mental or physical illness: the effects of stigma and implications for help-seeking.

Purpose: Personal and perceived stigma can hinder persons in appraising their symptoms as constituting part of a mental illness (self-labeling), an important early step in the help-seeking process. This study examines the impact of personal and perceived stigma on self-labeling and provides prospective data on the possible connections between self-labeling and help-seeking behavior.

Methods: Personal stigmatizing attitudes, perceived stigma and self-labeling behavior as well as their statistical connections were cross-sectionally investigated in a community sample of 207 participants with a present untreated mental health problem.