Help-seeking behaviour in men and women with common mental health problems: Cross-sectional study

Oliver, Maria Isabel; Coe, Nicola; Gunnell, David; Pearson, Nicky

Abstract

Background: Many people with mental health problems do not seek professional help but their use of other sources of help is unclear. Aims: To investigate patterns of lay and professional help-seeking in men and women aged 16-64 years in relation to severity of symptoms and sociodemographic variables. Method: Postal questionnaire survey, including the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), sent to a stratified random sample (n=15222) of the population of Somerset. Results: The response rate was 76%. Only 28% of people with extremely high GHQ-12 scores (≥8) had sought help from their general practitioner but most (78%) had sought some form of help. Males, young people and people living in affluent areas were the least likely to seek help. Conclusions: Health promotion interventions to encourage appropriate help-seeking behaviour in young people, particularly in men, may lead to improvements in the mental health of this group of the population.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2005
• Journal: British Journal of Psychiatry
• Print ISSN: 0007-1250
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 186
• Issue: APR.
• Pages: 297-301
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.186.4.297
• Keywords: help seeking behaviour, men, women, common mental health problems, cross-sectional study
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1050467
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.186.4.297