What barriers could impede access to mental health services for children and adolescents in Africa? A scoping review

Factors related to help-seeking and service utilization for professional mental healthcare among young people: An umbrella review

The aim of this umbrella review is to summarize evidence on factors that influence help-seeking and service utilization for professional mental healthcare among young people ages 0-30. The CINAHL, Cochrane, Epistemonikos, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched in December 2023 for systematic reviews in English. The search yielded 26 eligible reviews, all of which are medium or high quality. Primary study overlap was rare. Using an established framework, we organize intrapersonal (n = 37), interpersonal (n = 14), institutional (n = 9), community (n = 7), and public policy (n = 6) factors. The most frequently reviewed factor at each level is trust of professionals (intrapersonal), close others' support for treatment (interpersonal), cost (institutional), availability (community), and insurance (public policy). Stigma is widely referenced (18 reviews) and classified as multi-dimensional. Narrative synthesis reveals population-specific variability (e.g., rural, racial/ethnic minority, refugees, immigrants) in the importance of many factors. To develop interventions and healthcare systems sensitive to young people's needs, we recommend promoting stigma-reduction campaigns, and targeting trustworthiness, affordability, anonymity, accessibility, and mental health literacy. Identifying commonalities and differences across populations and contexts assists in the design of nuanced and efficient treatment delivery systems for young people, who are at a critical time for their mental health.

Drawing attention? Going through judgments regarding child and adolescent suicide attempts in emergency rooms from a professional perspective

OBJECTIVE

To understand the perceptions of the multidisciplinary team of an emergency department regarding the care of children and adolescents who have attempted suicide.

METHOD

An exploratory-descriptive, qualitative study, in light of the Symbolic Interactionism theoretical framework. Thirteen professionals from the multidisciplinary team from two emergency rooms (children and adults) of a secondary hospital in São Paulo participated. Data were collected between August and September 2018 using semi-structured interviews, analyzed using thematic content analysis complemented by the IRAMUTEQ® software.

RESULTS

Two central categories emerged: Multidisciplinary team perceptions regarding attempted suicide care; and Multidisciplinary team perceptions regarding the possibilities for improving attempted suicide care. From these, professional perceptions of care, risk factors, emotional reactions, limitations of emergency rooms and strategies for improving practice were observed.

CONCLUSION

Professionals perceived suicide attempt care from a biomedical and reductionist perspective, with an approach marked by stigma, judgment and lack of preparation.