Attitudes toward help-seeking and duration of untreated mental disorders in a sectorized Athens area of Greece.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association of opinions towards seeking psychiatric help with the duration of untreated mental disorders in a sectorized Athens area, served by a Community Mental Health Centre. The sample consisted of 134 individuals who had sought help from health or mental health non sectorized services prior to their visit to the Centre (group A) and 156 individuals whose visit to the Center was their first ever contact with a mental health service (group B). Opinions were assessed by the "Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help scale. Both groups were selected from a total of 1,008 individuals who had visited the Centre in four consecutive years. The duration of untreated mental disorders was found to be shorter in group A compared to group B. Males and females of both groups, who had visited the Centre in a time period shorter than 12 months since the onset of their psychopathology, expressed more positive views towards help-seeking, compared to their counterparts with longer duration of untreated mental disorder. The variables of gender (females), age at symptom onset (younger) and education (higher) predicted a shorter duration without psychiatric treatment and more positive views about the necessity of help-seeking. More severe type of diagnoses was associated with shorter durations before accessing care. Our findings underline that mental health awareness programs are clearly required in order to strengthen the early recognition of the need for help- seeking. The development of liaison and outreach activities could also prevent prolonged delays in psychiatric treatment.

Mental health treatment fearfulness and help-seeking.

A majority of people meeting the criteria for mental disorders underutilize mental health services. Treatment fearfulness is a barrier to help-seeking. This study explores the way treatment fearfulness affects the help-seeking behaviour of individuals who sought help from the Community Mental Health Centre. A total of 290 participants completed a structured questionnaire. Information was obtained on a number of variables, including orientation toward utilization of social networks, attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, opinions about psychiatry, and fears about therapy. Factor analysis was conducted on the scale, measuring fears about therapy. Those with fewer fears about therapy have more positive network orientation, more positive attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, and more positive opinions about psychiatry so it is more possible for those individuals to visit a mental health service sooner than those with more fears. Reducing the delays in individuals initiating treatment requires clearer understanding of the contributing factors.