Knowing Others in Treatment May Encourage People With Depression to Seek Care

People with depression may be more likely to seek treatment if they know of others with emotional problems or others who have sought treatment for emotional problems, suggests astudy inPsychiatric Services in Advance.“Our findings suggest that mere personal knowledge [of others with mental illness] may carry unique importance for treatment seeking beyond other well-studied social factors, such as social support and perceived stigma,” wrote Michelle M. Tran, M.S., of Palo Alto University and colleagues.The findings were based on a follow-up survey of adults aged 18 years or older who participated in an international online depression screening study. A total of 239 participants who screened positive for major depression in the initial study agreed to answer follow-up questions, including whether they had ever sought professional help or treatment for depression; the number of people they knew with “emotional or mental problems” (within and outside of their family); and the number of people they knew who sought treatment for emotional or mental health problems (within and outside of their family). The participants also answered questions about their views toward depression, experiences wit h stigma, how supported they felt by others, and more.The researchers found that participants who knew at least one person in their family with emotional or mental problems were nearly four times more likely to seek depression treatment than those who did not know of anyone in their f...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: depression family Michelle Tran Psychiatric Services in Advance stigma treatment seeking Source Type: research