Barriers to mental health care in Japan: Results from the World Mental Health Japan Survey

Exploring Mental Health Services for Youth Experiencing Homelessness in East Asian Pacific Regions: A Systematic Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) in East Asian Pacific (EAP) regions represent one of the most at-risk populations due to cultural and geographical factors. Effective mental health interventions, primarily researched in Western contexts, may not fully apply to YEH in EAP. Their lack of stable shelter, disrupted social networks, and limited access to mental health services elevate their susceptibility to adverse mental health, making urgent interventions essential to address their needs.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to explore and systematically search the types of mental health services and interventions available for YEH in EAP and their impact on overall quality of life and wellbeing.

METHODS

Electronic databases (e.g., Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus) were systematically searched (publication dates between 1 January 1990 and 13 May 2023), as well as additional online resources specific to homelessness. Articles were screened, and a critical appraisal assessed the quality of the included studies.

RESULTS

Eight studies with different interventions were identified in Indonesia (n = 2), Malaysia (n = 1), South Korea (n = 3), and the Philippines (n = 1). These were thematically clustered into six categories: art, cognitive behavioural therapy, life skills education, resilience enhancement, family strengthening, and government interventions/services.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlights effective mental health interventions' positive impact on YEH mental health outcomes and quality of life in EAP, stressing the urgent need to implement socio-culturally sensitive services. Future research should address knowledge gaps through comprehensive studies covering diverse EAP regions and populations, prioritising socio-culturally specific psychological measures.

Changes in Mental Health among Japanese University Students during the COVID-19 Era: Differences by College Department, Graduate Level, Sex, and Academic Year

This study compared the effects of academic year, college department, and undergraduate or graduate status on Japanese students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2021-2023, an online survey was conducted using the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Systems-Japanese (CCAPS-Japanese) to evaluate students' mental health; 9395 undergraduate students (4623 female, 4772 male) and 1169 graduate students (380 female, 789 male) responded. Undergraduate students in medicine had lower levels of depression, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety than those in other departments. Engineering students exhibited the highest level of academic distress. First-year students had the highest levels of generalized and social anxiety but the lowest level of academic distress. Second-year students had the lowest level of depression, and third-year students had the highest level of academic distress. Among graduate students, first-year students had higher levels of depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, academic distress, and hostility than second-year students. Undergraduates had poorer mental health than graduate students. Females had higher levels of eating concerns than males among undergraduate students. This study revealed that the mental health of university students was affected by various factors. These findings demonstrate the characteristics of university students requiring early support.

Utility of scratch art therapy in adult epilepsy patients with difficulties in social adaptation

OBJECTIVE

Adult patients with epilepsy are confronted with significant psychological and psychosocial burdens. However, the role of psychological intervention to improve quality of life has not been fully established yet. The basis of art therapy is symbolic representations of inner experiences but patients may have difficulty expressing themselves. Here, we investigated utilities of scratch art therapy in Japanese adult patients with epilepsy who feel difficulties in social adaptation.

METHODS

Seven adult epilepsy patients (four males, age: 32.1 ± 9.9, mean ± SD) treated in epilepsy clinic of our hospital, who complained of psychosocial problems and underwent psychotherapy sessions combined with art therapy, were included. Six patients had focal epilepsy and two of them were sequelae of encephalitis. They were comorbid with depression, mood disorders, anxiety, memory disturbance, and insomnia. Psychotherapy sessions were scheduled at the same day of their clinic visit, every 4-12 weeks, 60 min per day, and art therapy was performed as a part (up to 30 min, in accord with the condition of the patient) of each session. Scratch art therapy was performed by using ready-made publications. Each patient selected favorite motives of figure out of several options suggested by the therapist.

RESULTS

All patients quickly adapted themselves to scratch art therapy and verbally expressed their hidden emotions during drawing. One female patient with emotional lability appealed that she could stab herself by pointed end of the pen. Three patients added self-motivated lines to the designed draft. Two patients realized problems to be solved and moved to other suitable therapeutic procedures.

SIGNIFICANCE

The current case series study demonstrated utilities of scratch art therapy in Japanese adult patients with epilepsy who feel difficulties in social adaptation. Scratch art therapy is easy to introduce in adult epilepsy patients who have trouble expressing themselves or have uncontrollable emotions.

Perceptions and attitudes of users and non-users of mental health services concerning mental illness and services in Japan

Objectives

There is a global movement to develop and implement community-based integrated mental health systems. The present study attempted to clarify the perceptions and attitudes of users and non-users of mental health services concerning mental illness and services in Japan.

Methods

A new questionnaire was developed for this internet survey. Data from 500 outpatients with depression and 500 healthy subjects were sampled according to the demographics of the Japanese population.

Results

Over 90% of healthy subjects and over 70% of patients were unaware of the common age of onset or lifetime prevalence of mental illness. Over 90% of the healthy subjects and about 70% of the patients could not describe any services where they would feel comfortable discussing mental health problems. In both groups, "adolescents and young adults" were ranked first as a target population for mental health and illness policies. The top requirement for the integrated care systems was the promotion and awareness of correct knowledge of mental illness in both the healthy subjects and patients.

Conclusion

Societal requirements could include disseminating correct knowledge, awareness-raising actions for society, and implementing services where people, especially young people, can easily consult and receive support in the community.

Descriptive Study of Patients Treated in a Psychosomatic Internal Medicine Declared by Japanese Family Medicine Clinic

Background

Psychosomatic internal medicine (PSIM) assesses psychosocial factors and provides holistic consideration. In Japan, PSIM physicians seem to be recognized as providers of mental health services, but family medicine did not so. When family physicians confront with psychological problems, high dropout rate is reported so it is needed to reveal factors related to dropouts, The purpose of this study is to describe characteristics of patients, treatment dropouts and its related factors in PSIM practice by family physician.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used data from the medical records of the Kitaibaraki Center of Family Medicine located in Kitaibaraki City, Ibaraki, Japan. The study included all new patients who made an appointment and visited the PSIM in this clinic from January 2020 to December 2022.Chief complaints and diagnoses were coded based on the International Classification of Primary Care, version 2 (ICPC-2).

Results

In total, 377 new patients were included in this study. The mean age was 39.9 ± 20.2 years. We found that 69.2% of patients who visited the clinic had a psychological chief complaint and 84.1% of primary diagnoses consisted of a psychological problem. One hundred sixty-five patients (43.8%) were still receiving treatment 6 months after the initial visit. Of the patients who ended treatment within 6 months after the initial visit, 84 patients (39.2%) dropped out. In multivariate analysis, the dropouts were less likely to occur patients with primary diagnosis of psychological problem (odds ratio (OR): 0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.19 - 0.67).

Conclusions

Patients who visited a PSIM wanted consultation about psychological problems. Patients with a diagnosis of a psychological problem at the initial visit were less likely to drop out.

An integrated youth mental health service in a densely populated metropolitan area in Japan: Clinical case management bridges the gap between mental health and illness services

AIMS

A global movement, including in Asia, is seeking to establish integrated youth mental health services that provide early intervention in the continuum from mental health to mental illness. Clinical case management (CCM), in which a case manager becomes not only a coordinator of services but also a provider of psychosocial support, can establish a 'one-stop network' that supports youth in densely populated areas with various social resources. In 2019, we opened a community-based centre called 'SODA' in front of a metropolitan railway station, which was designed to be highly accessible, stigma-free and youth-friendly to provide CCM. We aimed to clarify its services and effectiveness of CCM.

METHODS

Data from 105 youths were investigated in a case-controlled study, dividing them into two groups: those who had received CCM for 6 months, and those whose needs were met in fewer sessions.

RESULTS

Twenty-one subjects who received CCM for 6 months had difficulties in more domains than the others. The mean of the total service minutes for the subjects who received CCM for 6 months was 491.3 min: psychological support (accounted for 24.8% of the time), support for community living (31.2%), work support (13.8%), family support (10.5%) and support for cooperation with other organizations (19.8%). Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score improved significantly, from 46.6 at baseline to 59.3 at 6 months.

CONCLUSION

Even in metropolitan areas with numerous medical facilities, young people can face high barriers to access. CCM can be effective as an early intervention for subjects developing mental illness.

Training types associated with knowledge and experience in public health workers

BACKGROUND

Training non-specialist workers in mental healthcare improves knowledge, attitude, confidence, and recognition of mental illnesses. However, still little information is available on which type of mental health training is important in the improvement of these capacities.

METHODS

We studied web-based survey data of 495 public health workers to examine training types associated with knowledge and experience in supporting individuals with mental illness. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between a lack of knowledge and experience (outcome) and mental health training (exposure). We fitted three regression models. Model 1 evaluated unadjusted associations. Model 2 adjusted for age and sex. Model 3 adjusted for age, sex, years of experience, mental health full-time worker status, and community population. Bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrap confidence intervals (CIs) were used.

RESULTS

For all training types, the association between a lack of knowledge and experience and mental health training attenuated as the model developed. In Model 3, a lack of knowledge and experience was significantly associated with training in specific illness (OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.32-0.93) and screening and assessment (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.39-0.99). Non-significant results were produced for training in counseling, psychosocial support, collaborative work, and law and regulation in Model 3.

CONCLUSIONS

We believe that the present study provides meaningful information that training in specific illness and screening and assessment may lead to knowledge and experience of public health workers. Further studies should employ a longitudinal design and validated measurements.

Duration of untreated illness of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder in Japan

AIM

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and severe disease; however, the duration of untreated illness (DUI) of OCD is approximately 7 years, which is longer than that of other psychiatric disorders. Differences in medical environments have been reported to affect the DUI. Therefore, we surveyed the DUI of OCD in Japan and the reason for delayed treatment.

METHODS

The study participants were outpatients who visited the OCD specialty outpatient clinic for the first time between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2019. Obsessive-compulsive disorder was diagnosed using the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, and semistructured clinical interviews, which included asking the reason for the delay in seeking treatment and treatment drop-out history.

RESULTS

Seventy-one patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. The mean period between OCD and the first visit to the hospital was 2.8 years and the mean DUI of OCD was 4.7 years. There was a significant difference in the history of tic disorders and treatment drop out between patients with a DUI of >2 years and those with a DUI of ≤2 years. The most common reason for delaying treatment was that the patient did not consider the symptoms of OCD to be those of an illness, and the most common reason for dropping out of treatment was lack of improvement.

CONCLUSIONS

This was the first study on the DUI of OCD in Japan. The DUI was relatively shorter than that found by studies in other countries. Stopping treatment lengthened the duration of the illness. Preventing the patient from dropping out of treatment could further shorten the duration of the illness.

Knowledge of mental health symptoms and help seeking attitude in a population-based sample in Hong Kong

Background

Mental health symptoms can be subtle, resulting in delaying treatment. A prompt identification of mental signs and symptoms is important for preventing mental disorders in the public. This study examined whether local public have adequate knowledge to identify mental health symptoms and the need to get timely professional help.

Methods

The population-based telephone surveys were conducted in 2015 and 2018. It involved a random sample of 4033 respondents aged 12–75 years. Mental health knowledge and help seeking attitude were assessed using six vignettes depicting subtle and obvious symptoms of anxiety disorders, mixed anxiety and depressive disorders, and dementia. Logistic regression models were performed to examine association between mental health knowledge and help-seeking attitude.

Results

Individuals with poor knowledge in subtle symptoms were more likely to be males (t =  − 5.0, p < .001), younger (F = 15.0, p < .001), have tertiary education (F = 15.0, p < .001), and employed (t =  − 2.1, p = .037). The knowledge scores of subtle and obvious symptoms were 1.5 and 2.3 respectively. Binary logistic regression found that poor knowledge of subtle symptoms was associated with reluctance to professional help seeking.

Conclusions

Poorly identified subtle mental health symptoms is a major barrier to early professional help in highly educated working males. Future research should explore specific interventions to increase knowledge and professional help seeking in this group.

Relationship of Subjective Cognitive Impairment with Psychosocial Function and Relapse of Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: Analysis of Longitudinal Data from PERFORM-J

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence suggests the presence of cognitive impairment in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), which affects their psychosocial function and quality of life (QoL). PERFORM-J (Prospective Epidemiological Research on Functioning Outcomes Related to MDD in Japan) is an observational, multicenter study to assess longitudinal changes in depressive symptoms, psychomotor speed, subjective cognitive function, and psychosocial function.

METHODS

Five hundred and eighteen Japanese outpatients with MDD initiating new antidepressant monotherapy (first-line or switch from previous drug) as part of their routine medical care participated in this study. Assessments at baseline and over the 6-month observation period included physician-rated depression severity (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale), psychomotor speed (Digit Symbol Substitution Test; DSST), subjective cognition (Perceived Deficits Questionnaire-Depression), psychosocial function (Sheehan Disability Scale), and QoL (EuroQol-5 Dimension-5 Level).

RESULTS

Antidepressant treatment for 6 months improved depressive symptoms and subjective cognitive impairment (cognitive complaints), whereas psychomotor speed remained impaired (ie, DSST total score was >1 standard deviation below the norm) in 35.6% of patients at 6 months. Impairment of subjective cognition, but not psychomotor speed at month 2 was associated with poor psychosocial function and QoL at 6 months. There was a trend for higher relapse rates at 6 months in patients with greater subjective cognitive impairment at 2 months.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the importance of evaluating cognitive difficulties to predict long-term outcomes in patients with MDD. Early intervention for cognitive complaints may decrease the relapse rate, which warrants further study.

Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in Japanese Patients with Cancer: A Matched Cohort Study Using Employer-Based Health Insurance Claims Data

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Patients with cancer are at high risk of major depressive disorder (MDD), but little is known about their MDD treatment. We investigated the use of antidepressants and other drugs for MDD after cancer diagnosis, and patient characteristics associated with their use.

METHODS

Adults with a new cancer diagnosis were matched to cancer-free patients using a Japanese employee health insurance database (JMDC); this exploratory analysis included only cohort patients diagnosed with MDD between 6 months before and 12 months after the cancer diagnosis index month. Initial prescription frequencies of antidepressants and other MDD medications were compared between cancer and cancer-free groups and analyzed according to age, sex, and hospital characteristics.

RESULTS

Compared with the cancer-free group (n = 4097), significantly fewer patients in the cancer group (n = 1199) were prescribed antidepressants {622 (51.9%) [95% CI 49.0-54.7] vs 2385 (58.2%) [95% CI 56.7-59.7]}, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. In contrast, prescription of other medications, especially antipsychotics and anxiolytics (tandospirone, hydroxyzine), was more frequent in the cancer group than in the cancer-free group. In the cancer group, women were prescribed antidepressants (mostly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and other medications (mostly benzodiazepines) more than men. Antidepressant prescription decreased with age; patients aged < 40 years had the highest selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and the lowest conventional antidepressant prescription rate compared with patients aged 40-64 years and ≥ 65 years. Lower selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and benzodiazepine prescription rates were seen in large (≥ 100 beds) hospitals and in hospitals where patients received their cancer diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest Japanese patients with cancer may be undertreated for MDD compared with cancer-free patients. However, when prescribed, medications may be chosen according to patient needs, including avoiding adverse effects and drug-drug interactions.

Attitudes related to social distance between commissioned welfare volunteers (minsei-iin) and people with mental illness

Objective: This study explored the factors influencing commissioned welfare volunteers’ (CWVs) attitudes toward mental illnesses and how their attitudes correlated with their social distance from people with mental illness.

Materials and Methods: Data from 223 CWVs were analyzed statistically. Factor extractions for the Image for Mental Illness Scale (IMI) and Social Distance Scale (SDS) were calculated. We examined the relations between factors in IMI and SDS.

Results: CWVs’ attitudes were classified as Understanding (understanding of the condition), Secure (feelings of safety in the presence of those with mental illness), and Activity (reactions to the behaviors of people with mental illness). Social distance from those with mental illness was classified as Public and Private Interactions. CWVs’ interactions with people with mental illness were significantly influenced by feeling Secure in the presence of the latter. Low Public and Private Interactions were influenced by older age. CWVs’ “experience in providing consultations for mental illness” led to the avoidance of Private Interactions.

Conclusion: CWVs should feel safe when involved in Public or Private Interactions with individuals with mental illness. CWVs reported a preference for a higher level of social distance from people with mental illness.

Challenges associated with mental health management: Barriers and consequences

Introduction

Mental illness has become a global public health issue and according to WHO report in 2015, United Arab Emirates (UAE) recorded the highest level of depression among all countries at Eastern Mediterranean Region. Many people frequently suffer from mental health diseases but tend not to obtain help. Treatment delay can become life-threatening.

Objectives

This study aimed to identify the barriers to seeking professional help for mental illness and the consequences of untreated mental health disorders. The study also aimed to examine outcomes in patients when help was provided by health care providers.

Methods

A self-administrated survey was distributed among 377 people randomly selected from general population of three different cities at United Arab Emirates (UAE): Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Their perception of the barriers, consequences and outcomes was analyzed to achieve the objectives of the study.

Results

Overall, 341 participants completed the survey. Wrong thought regarding mental disorders (60.1%) and being ashamed (58.9%) were identified to be the most common and significant barriers (P < 0.001) that prevent people from obtaining healthcare providers’ assistance. The majority of responders reported building confidence (78.9%) and improvement in relationships (73.0%) as outcomes for taking professional help in mental illness. Moreover, many individuals believed that untreated mental illness could lead to problems with family and friends (69.2%) as well as to suicidal thoughts (56.3%).

Conclusion

This research gives some insights regarding the challenges associated with mental diseases management in the UAE. Majority of responders had a negative perception of mental health service due to a lack of awareness regarding treatment effectiveness for mental disorders.

Exploration of the factors related to self-efficacy among psychiatric nurses

The average length of hospital stay in the psychiatric ward is longer, and the risk of patient-to-nurse violence is higher than that in other departments. Therefore, psychiatric nurses' work environment may differ from that of other nurses. The factors related to psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy may also differ from those of general workers or other nurses. Mental health care that considers the characteristics of psychiatric nurses requires exploration of self-efficacy unique to psychiatric nurses. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the distinct factors related to psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy. The developed 24 items related to improvement in self-efficacy and 25 items related to decrease in self-efficacy were examined. The Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale was used to measure the validity of the factors. To extract the factors of self-efficacy, data from 132 nurses and assistant nurses who provided informed consent were analyzed, and the reliability and validity of the factors were calculated. The factors associated with improvement in self-efficacy were "Positive reactions by patients," "Ability to positively change nurse-patient relationship," and "Practicability of appropriate nursing." The factors associated with decrease in self-efficacy were "Uncertainty in psychiatric nursing" and "Nurses' role loss." The Cronbach's α for all factors exceeded .70. Of the five factors, four had significant weak-to-moderate correlations with the Japanese version of the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale; therefore, the validity was quantitatively confirmed with four factors. Interventions based on these four factors may improve psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy. Additionally, it is possible that this tool assesses the unique facets of self-efficacy rather than psychiatric nurses' general self-efficacy. Interventions to improve psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy based on the characteristics of psychiatry are needed.

Responses to persuasive messages encouraging professional help seeking for depression: comparison between individuals with and without psychological distress

BACKGROUND

The persuasive effect of health messages can depend on message features, audience characteristics, and target behaviors. The objective of this study was to compare the responses to persuasive messages encouraging professional help seeking for depression between individuals with and without psychological distress.

METHODS

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted on Japanese adults aged 35-45 years, who randomly received one of three persuasive messages that aimed to promote help-seeking intentions for depression. The primary message statements were as follows: (1) depression can happen to anyone, (2) depression needs treatment, and (3) depression improves with treatment. Participants rated the messages in terms of comprehensibility, persuasiveness, emotional response, and intended future use. Help-seeking intention for depression was measured using vignette methodology before and after exposure to the messages. Eligible participants who had not received medical treatment for their mental disorders were classified as either distressed (K6 score ≥ 5, N = 824) or non-distressed (K6 score < 5, N = 1133) and analyzed.

RESULTS

No significant differences in comprehensibility or persuasiveness scores were observed between the messages, but the distressed group had significantly lower scores than the non-distressed group. Negative emotional responses such as surprise, anger, fear, sadness, guilt, and anxiety were significantly stronger when reading message 2, while a positive emotional response such as happiness was significantly stronger when reading message 3. These emotional responses were more prominent in the distressed than in the non-distressed group. After reading messages 1, 2, and 3, the proportions of participants in the distressed group who reported having a positive help-seeking intention increased by 35.1%, 32.1%, and 27.7%, respectively, and by 6.4%, 17.3%, and 15.2%, respectively in the non-distressed group. Multiple logistic regression analysis among participants having no help-seeking intention before exposure to the messages showed that message 2 had a significantly greater effect of increasing help-seeking intentions in the non-distressed group.

CONCLUSION

The exposure to persuasive messages may promote help-seeking intentions for depression. It seems likely that loss framing will work better than neutral and gain framing. Meanwhile, the responses to persuasive messages may differ to some extent between distressed and non-distressed individuals, as individuals with psychological distress are likely to be more susceptible to persuasive messages than those without.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not applicable; this is not a report of intervention trial.

A randomised controlled trial of repeated filmed social contact on reducing mental illness-related stigma in young adults

AIMS

Public stigma alters attitudes towards people with mental illness, and is a particular concern for young people since most mental health problems occur in adolescence and young adulthood. However, little is known about the long-term effects of repeated filmed social contact (FSC) on reducing mental health-related stigma among young adults in the general population, compared with self-instructional Internet search (INS) and control interventions.

METHODS

This study is a parallel-group randomised controlled trial over 12 months conducted in Tokyo, Japan. A total of 259 university students (male n = 150, mean age = 20.0 years, s.d. = 1.2) were recruited from 20 colleges and universities between November 2013 and July 2014, without being provided information about the mental health-related survey or trial. Participants were assigned to one of three groups before completion of the baseline survey (FSC/INS/control = 89/83/87). The FSC group received a computer-based 30-min social contact film with general mental health education and five follow-up web-based FSCs at 2-month intervals. The INS group undertook a 30-min search for mental health-related information with five follow-up web-based reminders for self-instructional searches at 2-month intervals. The control group played PC games and had no follow-up intervention. The main outcome measures were the future (intended behaviour) domain of the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale at 12 months after the intervention. Analysis was conducted in September 2015.

RESULTS

At the 12-month follow-up, 218 participants completed the survey (84.1%, 75:70:73). The FSC group showed the greatest change at the 12-month follow-up (FSC: mean change 2.11 [95% CI 1.49, 2.73], INS: 1.04 [0.29, 1.80], control: 0.71 [0.09, 1.33]; FSC v. INS p = 0.037, FSC v. controls p = 0.004). No adverse events were reported during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

FSC was more successful in reducing stigma at 12 months after intervention than INS or control interventions. FSC could be used to reduce stigma in educational lectures and anti-stigma campaigns targeted at young people.

STUDY REGISTRATION

This study is registered at UMIN-CTR (No. UMIN000012239).

A Brief Survey of Public Knowledge and Stigma Towards Depression

BACKGROUND

The burden from depression is affected by the public's beliefs, stigma, and resulting behavior. Lack of knowledge, misunderstanding, and stigma about depressed people and their surroundings are barriers to improving their mental health. This study aimed to examine public beliefs regarding depression, especially how to recognize depression, treatment, and stigma.

METHODS

A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to participants receiving an annual health checkup. We asked whether they agreed with four short sentences: "it is not necessary to worry about depression in a person behaving brightly" (misunderstanding about the behavior of depressed people), "rest is important for treating depression" (belief about the necessity of rest), "medicine is effective for treating depression" (belief about the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy) and "a weak personality causes depression" (stigma about the cause of depression). We also analyzed the association between these beliefs and factors such as health literacy, regularly visiting an outpatient clinic, history of depression, and demographic variables.

RESULTS

Among 1,085 respondents (75.0% response rate), 54.5%, 75.6%, 58.9%, and 70.8% responded appropriately to the "misunderstanding about the behavior of depressed people", "necessity of rest", "effectiveness of pharmacotherapy", and "stigma about the cause of depression" items, respectively. Regarding stigma about the cause of depression, 30.7% of respondents agreed that a weak personality caused depression. Female sex and younger age group were associated with appropriate answers. Health literacy was only associated with appropriate beliefs about the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Thirty percent of participants had the stigmatizing belief that a weak personality causes depression and only 58.9% believed in the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for depression. Over 70% understood the necessity of rest and knew that depression is possible in those who act brighter. General health literacy alone might not improve knowledge and beliefs about depression. An educational intervention or campaign to reduce stigma toward depression and improve knowledge about the treatment of depression is needed.

Factors associated with unwillingness to seek professional help for depression: a web-based survey

Objective

Depression is a prevalent disorder that has a substantial impact on not only individuals but also society as a whole. Despite many effective depression interventions, delay in initial treatment contact is problematic. The Internet is a possible tool for low-cost dissemination of appropriate information and awareness raising about depressive disorders among the general public. This study aimed to identify factors associated with unwillingness to seek professional help for depression in Internet users.

Results

This web-based cross-sectional study surveyed 595 participants who scored over the cutoff point for depression on a self-rated mental-health questionnaire for depression, had never been assessed or treated by a mental health professional, and were experiencing depressive symptoms for at least 6 months. Among the 595 participants, 329 (55.3%) reported they were unwilling to seek professional help for depression. Regression analysis indicated that unwillingness to seek professional help for depression was associated with male sex and financial issues as a depression trigger, and that willingness to seek professional help was associated with problems with interpersonal relationships. The Internet warrants further complementary investigation to elucidate factors associated with unwillingness to seek professional help for depression.