Mental health literacy and obsessive--compulsive personality disorder

Perceived Stress and Mental Health Literacy Among Chinese Preschool Teachers: A Moderated Mediation Model of Anxiety and Career Resilience

Purpose

Chinese public mental health is currently characterized by a high prevalence of mental ill health and a low consultation rate, due primarily to the nation's low mental health literacy. Previous studies have shown that occupational stress may be a risk factor for mental health literacy. In China, preschool teachers are under high pressure; however, few studies have examined the mechanisms that mediate and moderate the relationship between preschool teachers' feelings of stress and their mental health literacy.

Methods

A questionnaire was administered to 2352 preschool teachers to explore the relationship between their stress perceptions and mental health literacy.

Results

Preschool teachers' perceived stress was significantly and negatively associated with their mental health literacy, with anxiety playing a partially mediating role. Preschool teachers' career resilience moderated the relationship between perceived stress and anxiety. Perceived stress positively predicted anxiety for teachers with low levels of career resilience; for teachers with high levels of career resilience, perceived stress still positively predicted anxiety, and the higher the level of career resilience, the weaker the positive prediction of stress perception on anxiety.

Conclusion

Perceived stress directly predicted mental health literacy among preschool teachers, and also indirectly predicted mental health literacy through the mediating role of anxiety. Career resilience moderated the relationship between stress perception and anxiety. These findings provide new perspectives on the treatment and prevention of preschool teachers' mental ill health.

Mental Health Literacy about Personality Disorders: A Multicultural Study

Mental health literacy (MHL) refers to lay people's knowledge and beliefs about the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. The current study aimed at investigating MHL regarding personality disorders (PDs) multiculturally, comparing Turkish and Italian populations. In total, 262 participants responded to an online vignette identification task that required them to label the PDs of seven hypothetical subjects and rate various dimensions of their disorders. Narcissistic (25%), obsessive-compulsive (13%), and paranoid (12%) PDs were the most correctly labeled, while the average accuracy values for other PDs were below 0.04%. Compared to Turkish participants, Italian participants were more accurate in labeling narcissistic PD. Additionally, of the seven PDs, narcissistic PD was associated with the most happiness and success at work. Subjects with borderline and avoidant PDs were the most recognized as having psychological problems (>90%), yet their PDs were among the least correctly identified. Overall, participants from both cultures were generally successful at recognizing the presence of a mental illness, but they rarely labeled it correctly. Only limited cultural differences emerged. The present findings may inform the design of outreach programs to promote MHL regarding PDs, thereby facilitating early recognition of PDs and help-seeking behaviors for affected individuals.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: A Review of Symptomatology, Impact on Functioning, and Treatment

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a chronic condition that involves a maladaptive pattern of excessive perfectionism, preoccupation with orderliness and details, and the need for control over one's environment. It is one of the most common personality disorders in the general population, with an estimated prevalence ranging from 1.9% to 7.8%. Despite the fact that patients with OCPD often present for treatment, there is little empirical research on treatments for OCPD, and there is no definitive empirically supported treatment for the condition. This review provides an overview of OCPD, its core features, its common presentation style types, and its impact on functioning. We review the limited treatment research to date and focus on cognitive-behavioral approaches targeting core aspects of OCPD that directly affect functioning in these patients, emphasizing take-home points for clinicians. We also address questions and controversies related to OCPD and its treatment.

Public Recognition and Perceptions of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Previous research has indicated that the public's knowledge on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is poor. Public understanding and perception of OCD may be one contributor to this issue. Given that mental health literacy is an important first step for those to receive the appropriate care, we sought to understand more about the public's awareness and perceptions of OCD. Data regarding knowledge of OCD were collected through a New York statewide telephone survey (N = 806). Results indicated that those who had never heard of OCD were more likely to be ethnic minorities, have a lower income, and less education. Most participants described OCD either in terms of compulsions or in terms of perfectionism. Almost half (46.5%) of participants did not think there is a difference between someone with OCD and someone who is obsessive-compulsive. These findings are consistent with previous literature regarding race and treatment seeking behaviors.

Empathy and Mental Health Literacy

Background:

There is growing literature on mental health literacy (MHL), but few studies have conducted research on anything more than demographic predictors of MHL. We believe that those who are more empathic would be more interested in and more knowledgeable about mental illnesses.

Objective:

This study was concerned to establish whether people who were more empathic would have higher MHL.

Methods:

The 129 volunteer, university panel, participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and were presented with 15 vignettes describing people with various mental disorders. Questions assessed participants' identification of the disorders and their perception of the life adjustment of each person.

Key Results:

The results showed that 3 of the 4 empathy subscales correlated with the MHL score. Results from correlation and regression analyses suggest that people who are more empathic, have studied psychology, and have had personal experience of mental illness demonstrate better MHL.

Conclusions:

As predicted, people with greater MHL had greater empathy, but this cross-sectional correlational study could not ascertain causal patterns. [Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2017;1(2):e31–e40.]

Plain Language Summary:

This study addressed whether people who are more empathic tend to be better informed about mental health issues because of their care for, interest in, and sympathy toward those with a range of mental illnesses. This was a questionnaire study and we did indeed find the relationship we thought may occur. However, we cannot be certain which caused which—do those who know more about mental illnesses and how common they are become more empathic or do those with greater empathy learn more about all aspects of mental illness?

What do Spanish adolescents think about obsessive-compulsive disorder? Mental health literacy and stigma associated with symmetry/order and aggression-related symptoms

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a frequent and disabling disorder with a long delay in seeking help that could partly be due to poor mental health literacy and stigmatizing attitudes. This study analyzes the mental health literacy and stigma associated with symmetry/order and aggression-related OCD in a Spanish adolescent sample. This age group was chosen because adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of OCD, and adolescents are often reluctant to seek professional help. One hundred and two non-clinical adolescents read two vignettes describing symmetry/order and aggression-related OCD. Then, referring to these two vignettes, they answered questions related to problem recognition, causality perception, need for treatment, treatment recommendations, and stigma. Results show that a high percentage of adolescents recognize the interference of order- and aggression-related OCD, consider that a peer with order- or aggression-related OCD needs treatment, and would recommend a formal source of help. Although order symptoms are highly recognized as OCD by adolescents, aggression-related OCD is frequently misidentified as schizophrenia or depression. Results also show higher levels of stigmatizing attitudes in adolescents, associated with aggression-OCD (versus order-OCD), especially in male adolescents and adolescents with no previous experience with mental health services/providers. Results suggest the need to develop school-based programs emphasizing OCD content heterogeneity, especially the aggression, sexual, and religious contents, and work toward eliminating stigma.