Table 2 Frequency and percentage of responses on some Mental Health Literacy variables (N = 1678)
From: Mental health literacy and mental health status in adolescents: a population-based survey
MHL items | Frequency (%)* |
|---|---|
Recognition of disorder | |
Depression | 392 (23.4%) |
Schizophrenia/paranoid schizophrenia | 34 (2.0%) |
Psychosis/psychotic | 7 (0.4%) |
Mental illness | 5 (0.3%) |
Stress | 555 (33.1%) |
Nervous breakdown | 34 (2.0%) |
Psychological / mental / emotional problems | 459 27.4%) |
Has a problem | 60 (3.6%) |
Cancer | 11 (0.7) |
Others | 42 (2.5%) |
Nothing | 77 (4.6%) |
Intended action to seek help | |
Yes | 1128 (67.7%) |
No/Don’t know | 538 (32.3%) |
Of those who seek help, seek help from** | |
Both parents | 653 (57.1%) |
Mother | 121 (10.6%) |
Father | 27 (2.4%) |
Other people | 285 (24.9%) |
A service | 22 (1.9%) |
Don’t know | 20 (1.7%) |
How confident in the ability to ask for help | |
Very confident | 334 (29.8%) |
Fairly confident | 501 (44.7%) |
Slightly confident | 262 (23.4%) |
Not confident at all | 23 (2.1%) |
Barrier of seeking help*** | |
The costs of seeing the person | 258 (23.1%) |
Person might feel negatively about you | 328 (29.4%) |
What the person might say is wrong | 266 (23.8%) |
Other people think of you seeing the person | 123 (11.0%) |
Too far to travel | 78 (7.0%) |
Too hard to get an appointment | 105 (9.4%) |
Concern about side effect | 163 (14.6%) |
Unlike the treatment offered | 246 (22.0%) |
Thinking that nothing can help | 137 (12.3%) |
Long wait for an appointment | 49 (4.4%) |
Too embarrassed/shy | 330 (29.6%) |
Other | 71 (6.4%) |
If you have a similar problem, talk to parents | 1047 (62.6%) |
Yes | |
No/Don’t know | 626 (37.4%) |
Talk to both parents, mother or father | 725 (67.8%) |
Both | 258 (24.1%) |
Mother only | 37 (3.5%) |
Father only | 49 (435%) |
Don’t know | |
Belief in First Aid | |
Would you help | |
Yes | 1097 (65.7%) |
No | 574 (34.4%) |
How confident be able to help | |
Very confident | 198 (11.8%) |
Fairly confident | 677 (40.4%) |
Slightly confident | 756 (41.2%) |
Not confident at all | 43 (2.6%) |
Helpful of the following: | |
Listening to the problem in an understanding way | 1471 (879%) |
Talk firmly about getting act together | 1467 (87.5%) |
Suggest to seek professional help | 1057 (63.4%) |
Make an appointment to see a GP | 603 (36.1%) |
Ask whether feeling suicidal | 379 (22.7%) |
Suggest to have a few drinks to forget troubles | 67 (4.0%) |
Rally friends to cheer (him/her) up | 1195 (71.3%) |
Ignore until gets over it | 137 (8.2%) |
Keep busy to keep mind off problems | 454 (27.1%) |
Encourage to become more physically active | 844 (50.4%) |
Exposure to the problem | |
Family or friends had a similar problem | |
Yes | 274 (16.4%) |
No/Don’t know | 1400 (83.6%) |
The person received professional help** | 73 (26.1%) |
Have you ever had a similar problem | |
Yes | 355 (21.2%) |
No/Don’t know | 1321 (78.8%) |
You received professional help** | 54 (15.3%) |
Treatment was helpful** | 75 (30.9%) |
Mental health literacy level | |
Inadequate | 1403 (83.6%) |
Adequate | 275 (16.4%) |