Knowledge of mental illnesses: Two studies using a new test

Furnham, Adrian; Gee, Marcus; Weis, Laura

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.06.058

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Perhaps the most important aspect to note for future studies pertains to the use of the vignette methodology to identify MHL. In line with the considerable critical literature on vignette methodology [ 45 , 46 ], this study showed how a vignette illustrating depression consistent with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria could yield multiple labels, including more normalizing language such as stress and burnout. However, it has been argued that these alternative labels are less likely to facilitate professional help seeking [ 17 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Can Sri Lankan Australians Recognise Depression? The Influence of Acculturation, Age and Experiences with Depression on Recognition

Daluwatta

Peiris

Fletcher

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Mental health literacy is an important determinant of mental health help-seeking and is associated with improved mental health. There is evidence that mental health literacy may be lower amongst some migrant communities in Australia. The present study conducted the first cross-sectional survey of mental health literacy in Sri Lankan Australians between April and October 2020. Participants (N = 404) were presented with a culturally-tailored vignette describing an individual with symptoms of major depressive disorder, with correct recognition determined by the coding of an open text response to the question ‘what’s wrong with Mr Silva?’. Binomial linear regression modelling was conducted to identify predictors of the correct recognition of depression. Approximately 74% of participants recognised the presented symptoms as depression, though multiple other labels were also used by the respondents. The results also suggested that younger age and having a prior diagnosis of depression were significant predictors of recognising depression in the vignette. In the first study of Sri Lankan migrants’ mental health literacy in an Australian context, the rates of depression recognition were comparable to those found in the general Australian population. Further research is urgently required to replicate and extend the present findings and ultimately support the development of tailored interventions aimed at improving mental health literacy across the diverse Sri Lankan Australian community.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Can Sri Lankan Australians Recognise Depression? The Influence of Acculturation, Age and Experiences with Depression on Recognition

Daluwatta

Peiris

Fletcher

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…Unfortunately, rural individuals often hold inaccurate knowledge about mental health signs, symptoms, etiologies, and treatments (Boyd et al, 2007; Wrigley et al, 2005). MC-KOMIT scores of the current sample further substantiate this stance; 37% of the current sample, compared with 30% of a general adult sample (Furnham, Gee, & Weis, 2016), incorrectly answered more than half of the items on the test. Based on the findings of the current study, improving mental health literacy appears essential to improving utilization of mental health care in rural communities.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Psychosocial predictors of rural psychological help seeking.

Thorne¹,

Ebener²

2020

Journal of Rural Mental Health

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Rural people are less likely to seek help for psychological distress than their urban counterparts, despite comparable rates of psychological symptoms between the two groups. The association between limited accessibility and reduced mental health care utilization in rural adults has been well documented. Less studied is the reason (or reasons) for reduced use of mental health care services in rural persons. This study examined associations among willingness to seek help and religiosity, mental health knowledge, confidentiality concerns, and self-reliance. In this sample of 140 rural residents, mental health knowledge was the sole predictor of help seeking in stepwise regression analyses. Clinical implications of this association are addressed, as are potential approaches to increase help seeking behaviors in rural persons with psychological symptoms.

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“…In terms of the etiology and risk factors for schizophrenia specifically, for instance, the available evidence suggests that participants believe schizophrenia is caused by the social environment, particularly by recent stressors. By contrast, factors such as chemical imbalances in the brain and genetic inheritance appear to be much less emphasized when explaining the etiology of schizophrenia (Furnham, Gee, & Weis, 2016; Lin & Cheung, 1999). Related studies have similarly shown that the social environment and life events are more strongly emphasized than biological factors when explaining the causation of different mental health disorders, including depression.…”

Section: Mental Health Literacymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, Kutcher et al (2016) reviewed over 400 articles and were critical of a number of issues: the limited number of interventions reported in the studies, consistent problems with the measurement of MHL by vignettes, and samples often being restricted to students. Many have been critical of vignette techniques (Furnham et al, 2016; Sai & Furnham, 2013). Others have been much more critical of the vagueness of the construct and poor theory development (Spiker & Hammer, 2018).…”

Section: Mental Health Literacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Literacy: A Review of What It Is and Why It Matters

Furnham

Swami

2018

International Perspectives in Psychology

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148

129

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An increasing number of scholarly works have attempted to understand the reasons for poor rates of help-seeking for symptoms of mental health disorders all around the world. One particular body of work has focused on “mental health literacy” (MHL), defined as knowledge about mental health disorders that is associated with their recognition, management, and prevention. In this article, we report a nonsystematic review of studies on MHL, to give nonexpert academics, policymakers, and practitioners an understanding of the field. We find that studies consistently show that the general public have relatively poor recognition of the symptoms of mental health disorders and appear to emphasize self-help over traditional medical treatments. In addition, we find that there are age, gender, educational, urban−rural, and cross-cultural differences in MHL, which may differentially affect rates of help-seeking in different contexts. Implications and future directions for research are considered in conclusion.

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Knowledge of mental illnesses: Two studies using a new test

Cited by 8 publications

References 35 publications

Can Sri Lankan Australians Recognise Depression? The Influence of Acculturation, Age and Experiences with Depression on Recognition

Can Sri Lankan Australians Recognise Depression? The Influence of Acculturation, Age and Experiences with Depression on Recognition

Psychosocial predictors of rural psychological help seeking.

Mental Health Literacy: A Review of What It Is and Why It Matters

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