Getting help for mental health
Pro Research Analysisby 
Searched over 200M research papers
Getting Help for Mental Health: Insights from Recent Research
Importance of Help-Seeking for Mental Health
Help-seeking is crucial for accessing appropriate care and improving mental health outcomes. However, many individuals delay or avoid seeking help due to various barriers. Recent research has focused on understanding these barriers and developing effective interventions to promote help-seeking behaviors.
Effectiveness of Help-Seeking Interventions
A systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of interventions designed to promote help-seeking for mental health problems. The study found that interventions significantly improved formal help-seeking behaviors, mental health literacy, and reduced personal stigma in the short term. Long-term benefits were also observed, particularly with motivational enhancement strategies1. However, these interventions were less effective among children, adolescents, and the general public, and there was no evidence of increased informal help-seeking1.
Barriers to Help-Seeking Among Children and Adolescents
Children and adolescents face unique barriers to seeking professional help for mental health issues. A systematic review identified four main themes: individual factors (e.g., limited mental health knowledge), social factors (e.g., perceived stigma), perceptions of the therapeutic relationship (e.g., trust and confidentiality), and systemic barriers (e.g., financial costs and logistical issues)2. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address these specific barriers and improve access to mental health care for young people.
Digital Interventions for Mental Health Help-Seeking
Digital interventions have shown promise in facilitating help-seeking behaviors. A review of digital interventions found that about half of the studies reported improvements in help-seeking outcomes, particularly in intentions to seek help. Interventions that promoted active participation and personal involvement, such as sharing one's own narrative, were particularly effective3. These findings suggest that digital platforms could be a valuable tool in promoting early intervention and reducing the need for crisis care.
Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Young Adults
Young adults, particularly those aged 18-24, are less likely to seek help for mental health problems despite the high prevalence of such issues in this age group. Barriers include perceived stigma, difficulty expressing concerns, and a preference for self-reliance6. A UK survey found that 35% of young adults with mental health difficulties did not seek any formal or informal help, underscoring the need for interventions that address these barriers10.
Cultural and Demographic Influences on Help-Seeking
Cultural and demographic factors also play a significant role in help-seeking behaviors. In China, for example, attitudes towards seeking professional help are influenced by knowing someone with a mental health problem, and life experiences such as being older, married, or having children9. These findings suggest that interventions should be culturally tailored to address specific attitudes and beliefs about mental health.
Conclusion
Promoting help-seeking for mental health problems requires a multifaceted approach that addresses individual, social, and systemic barriers. Effective interventions should be tailored to specific populations, including children, adolescents, and young adults, and leverage digital platforms to reach a broader audience. By improving mental health literacy, reducing stigma, and making support more accessible, we can enhance mental health outcomes and reduce the burden of untreated mental health disorders.
Sources and full results
Most relevant research papers on this topic
Effectiveness of interventions to promote help-seeking for mental health problems: systematic review and meta-analysis
Help-seeking interventions effectively improve attitudes, intentions, and behaviors towards seeking formal help for mental health problems among adults, but do not significantly increase informal help-seeking.
Meta-Analysis
Rigorous Journal
Highly CitedWhy do children and adolescents (not) seek and access professional help for their mental health problems? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies
Children and adolescents face complex internal and external barriers in seeking and accessing professional help for mental health problems, including individual factors, social stigma, professional trust, and financial costs.
Systematic Review
Very Rigorous JournalHighly CitedThe impact of digital interventions on help-seeking behaviour for mental health problems: a systematic literature review
Digital interventions can improve help-seeking for mental health problems, with interventions promoting active participation and personal involvement through sharing one's own narrative showing promising results.
Systematic ReviewMental Health Problems among Young People—A Scoping Review of Help-Seeking
Young people experience unfamiliarity and insecurity in mental health issues, desire self-reliance, and view support structures as inaccessible and unresponsive, with help-seeking being a dynamic and psychosocial process.
Systematic ReviewRigorous JournalWhen and how do young people seek professional help for mental health problems?
Young people are more likely to seek professional help for mental health problems if they have knowledge about issues, emotional competence, and trusted relationships with potential help providers.
Highly CitedMental health help-seeking behaviours in young adults.
Barriers to mental health help-seeking in young adults include stigma and self-reliance, which hinder early intervention and reduce the risk of chronicity and progression to more severe disorders.
Systematic ReviewRigorous JournalPredicting Intentions to Seek Help from Professional Mental Health Services
Personal attitudes towards seeking help are more important than the approval or disapproval of significant others in predicting help-seeking intentions for psychological problems.
Observational StudyHighly CitedHelp Seeking for Mental Health on College Campuses: Review of Evidence and Next Steps for Research and Practice
Traditional barriers like stigma partially explain the high prevalence of untreated mental health disorders in college populations.
Literature ReviewHighly CitedMental health help-seeking in China.
In China, men older, with children, and married are more open to seeking help for mental health needs, influenced by life experience and knowledge of mental health problems.
Observational StudyIdentifying barriers to mental health help-seeking among young adults in the UK: a cross-sectional survey.
Young adults experiencing psychological distress may struggle to access help due to stigma and negative perceptions, highlighting the need for improved public awareness and screening in primary care services.
Observational StudyHighly Cited