Mental health literacy in non-western countries: a review of the recent literature

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to produce a comprehensive and tabulated review of the many and scattered papers on public mental health literacy, with particular focus on people's ability to recognise mental illness and beliefs about the treatment. Design/methodology/approach – This was a review and tabula study. Comprehensive tables describe studies: the first looks at the beliefs of three different groups (the general public, students and young people) within developed English-speaking countries, and the second on studies from non-English-speaking countries. Findings – Some illnesses like depression and schizophrenia are well researched and others like anxiety or personality disorders largely ignored. The conclusion considers terminological (the loose use of different terms), theoretical (little or no theoretical models) and methodological (heavy reliance on printed, culture-bound vignettes) issues in the developing area of research. Originality/value – No such review exists and this therefore should be of considerable value to people working in the area.

Causes of and risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder: the beliefs of Iraqi and Afghan refugees resettled in Australia

“…The importance of seeking to understand the knowledge and beliefs of refugee populations concerning the nature and treatment and mental problems is increasingly recognised [24]. Research of this kind has implications for the refinement of clinical interventions and the development of tailored health promotion and early intervention programs.…”

Impact of Mental Health First Aid on Confidence Related to Mental Health Literacy: A National Study With a Focus on Race-Ethnicity

“…Also, the time elapsed between the course and the receipt of the feedback form and the psychometric properties of the items used to assess MHL confidence are unknown. Finally, because MHFA is limited to a Western model of MHL and because culture influences the ways in which mental illnesses are defined, understood, and treated, conclusions regarding the impact of MHFA on MHL must be interpreted with caution (2). …”

“…Studies on the construct of mental health literacy (MHL), as described by Jorm and colleagues (1), indicate that large segments of the public lack knowledge about mental disorders as defined by the DSM and have misconceptions that could affect symptom recognition, management, or prevention (2). Yet MHL appears to be one of the strongest predictors of both help seeking and disclosure of symptoms, and effective strategies for improving MHL are needed (3).…”

Mental health literacy in Hong Kong

“…MHL studies carried out in Eastern/Asian countries have shown that the recognition of mental disorders and general MHL were generally poorer than in the West/Europe (Furnham & Hamid, 2014). For instance, Altweck, Marshall, Ferenczi and Lefringhausen (2015) found, as predicted, that Indians were less knowledgeable about anxiety disorder, depression and schizophrenia than European Americans and that greater recognition predicted greater endorsement of social causes of mental illness and endorsement of professional help-seeking.…”