Abstract
Purpose
Understanding why nearly 80% of youth ages 6–18 years with a mental disorder fail
to receive treatment represents an important public health priority. International
data suggest that underrecognition of mental illness and the need for treatment are
barriers to service utilization. This study extends work to a U.S. sample of 1,104
adolescents.
Methods
High School students were invited to participate in a self-report study assessing
knowledge and beliefs regarding mental illness. Participants completed the survey
in groups at school and read vignettes portraying peers experiencing major depression,
social anxiety disorder, and a situation where the individual has to cope with a common
life stressor followed by a series of questions in reference to each vignette.
Results
Adolescents had better recognition of depression than social anxiety disorder and
were more likely to recommend seeking help for it. However, <50% of youth recognized
depression. Family, friends, and counselors were recommended as sources of help. Differences
according to the sex of the respondent and person in the vignette were observed.
Conclusions
These data are among the first to provide information regarding the mental health
literacy of American adolescents and suggest potential points for intervention. Pending
replication of the findings herein, efforts to help adolescents recognize mental health
problems and to increase the likelihood of recommending professional help will be
important.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
September 10,
2015
Received:
January 14,
2015
Footnotes
Conflicts of Interest: There are no conflicts of interest to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
