Objectives: Findings have shown that many people do not seek help when experiencing psychological distress. The main aim of this paper was to examine the sociodemographic and health status factors that predict help seeking for self reported mental health problems for males and females from a general practitioner. Design:The analysis used data from the HRB National Psychological Wellbeing and Distress Survey -a telephone survey of the population aged 18 years and over. Methods:Telephone numbers were selected on a random probability basis. An initial set of random clusters was selected from the Geodirectory. Using these sampling areas, random digit dialling was used to generate a random telephone sample. Data were weighted on key variables. Respondents who reported mental health problems in the previous year were included in the current study (382 / 2674). Results:The findings showed gender differences in the models of predictors between males and females with more factors influencing attendance at the GP for males than for females. While only social limitations and access to free healthcare predicted female attendance, a range of sociodemographic and psychological factors influenced male attendance. Conclusions:Findings suggest that a 'gender sensitive approach' should be applied to mental health policies and mental health promotion and prevention programmes. Acknowledgement and awareness of the factors that influence help seeking will aid the design of gender specific promotion, prevention and treatment programmes at primary care level.

A qualitative exploratory study investigated the experiences and needs of family carers of persons with enduring mental illness in Ireland. The current mixed-methods secondary study used content analysis and statistical procedures in order to identify and explore the coping strategies emerging from the original interviews. The majority of family carers reported use of active behavioural coping strategies, sometimes combined with active cognitive or avoidance strategies. The percentage of cares reporting use of active cognitive strategies was the lowest among those whose ill relative lived in their home, and the highest among those whose relative lived independently. Participants with identified active cognitive strategies often reported that their relative was employed or in training. Participants who reported use of avoidance strategies were significantly younger than participants who did not report use of such strategies. The lowest percentage of avoidance strategies was among participants whose ill relative lived independently, whereas the highest was among carers whose relative lived in their home. The findings of this study highlight the importance of a contextual approach to studying coping styles and processes. Further research questions and methodological implications are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to present selected findings of a grounded theory study which aims to explore individual processes and desired outcomes of recovery from recurrent health problems in order to build up a theoretical framework of recovering in an Irish context.

Background-This secondary mixed-methods analysis is based on the interview data collected for an exploratory study of the experiences and needs of carers of persons with enduring mental illness. The aims were to identify and describe socio-demographic and contextual factors associated with the satisfaction of carers with family support.

The study shows that accepting, validating and the hope-instilling interaction can facilitate the process of reconnecting with life and is, therefore, crucial for recovery-oriented care.