Aims: Absent or delayed help-seeking is considered to aggravate the immense personal and societal burden caused by mental disorders. Therefore, we cross-sectionally examined rates and clinical and sociodemographic moderators of early help-seeking for current clinician-assessed non-psychotic mental problems/disorders in the community.
Methods: Altogether, 2683 individuals of the Swiss Canton Bern (16-40 years old, response rate 63.4%) were interviewed by telephone for current axis-I problems/disorders using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, for psychosocial functioning using the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale, and for help-seeking for mental problems.
Results: In total, 1122 (41.8%) reported mental problems. Of these, 769 (68.5%) affirmed any one screening question and 353 (31.5%) fulfilled criteria for any current axis-I disorder, and 396 (35.3%) reported any lifetime help-seeking (28.3% sought help in the past and 7.0% were in current treatment). In path analyses, current help-seeking was associated mainly by type and number of mental problems/disorders mediated by functional impairment, in addition to older age, no current partner, and past treatment.
Conclusion: Our cross-sectional data indicate a gap in help-seeking for mental problems/disorders. The relationship between number of mental problems/disorders and help-seeking mediated by functional impairment confirm that individuals commonly do not seek help until problems are severe enough to cause problems in occupational and psychosocial functioning, driving the already immense costs of mental disorders. Thus, campaigns promoting early help-seeking, including early diagnostic clarification of and support for subthreshold mental problems in terms of an indicated prevention, should focus on psychosocial functioning, aside from signs of mental illness.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.06.009 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Mind-mindedness in mothers of infants with excessive crying/sleeping/eating disorders.
Front Child Adolesc Psychiatry
May 2024
Social Pediatrics, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Introduction: Excessive crying, sleeping, and eating disorders are among the most prevalent mental health diagnoses in the first 3 years of life and involve significant health service use. Parents of infants with excessive crying/sleeping/eating disorders report high levels of stress, since they feel incapable of soothing and/or nurturing their baby. Infants' distress can lead to a breakdown in parents' mentalizing abilities and, more specifically, parental mind-mindedness in the parent-child interaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathways to professional mental care in the Swiss young adult community: a case-control study.
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci
March 2024
Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy/LVR-Clinic Duesseldorf, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.
Treatment success for mental health (MH) problems depends, among others, on the timeliness of help-seeking. Therefore, we studied the effect of symptoms and reasons for help-seeking on the point-of-contact and the most intensive professional treatment in a community sample. Participants were recruited as part of the 'Bern Epidemiological At-Risk' (BEAR) study on 16-40-year-old community persons of the Swiss canton Bern.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluence of mental health literacy on help-seeking behaviour for mental health problems in the Swiss young adult community: a cohort and longitudinal case-control study.
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci
April 2023
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy/LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Bergische Landstraße 2, 40629, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Poor knowledge about mental health disorders and their treatment likely contributes to the large treatment gap reported for mental health problems. Therefore, we studied the association between mental health literacy (MHL) and active help-seeking in a community sample. Participants were recruited from an add-on questionnaire study to the 'Bern Epidemiological At-Risk' (BEAR) study on 16-40-year-old community subjects of the Swiss canton Bern.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Systematic Review of Household and Family Alcohol Use and Childhood Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
Child Psychiatry Hum Dev
December 2021
Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA.
Childhood exposure to alcohol misuse by household adults has been related to childhood developmental delay, cognitive impacts, mental illness, and problem behaviours. Most evidence comes from high income countries. This systematic review only included studies from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSleep Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, and Management.
CNS Drugs
April 2020
Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Sleep problems are a common complaint in children/adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Correctly diagnosing and treating sleep problems in individuals with ASD is key, as they can add to the psychosocial burden of the disorder and exacerbate associated symptoms, such as inattention or irritability. Here, we provide an overview of the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of sleep problems/disorders in children and adolescents with ASD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!