Factors Influencing Help Seeking in Mentally Distressed Young Adults: a Cross-Sectional Study

The authors investigated the help-seeking behaviours of mentally distressed young adults aged 16 to 24 years. They found that most subjects who were assessed as having probable mental disorders had not sought help. Help seeking was more common in females than in males. Women with suicidal thoughts more commonly sought help than men with suicidal thoughts, although on the whole less than 1 in 5 respondents who reported having suicidal thoughts had consulted a general practitioner. (22 refs)