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Help seeking by A boriginal men who are mentally unwell: a pilot study
Author(s) -
Isaacs Anton N.,
Maybery Darryl,
Gruis Hilton
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
early intervention in psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.087
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1751-7893
pISSN - 1751-7885
DOI - 10.1111/eip.12015
Subject(s) - mental health , help seeking , mental health literacy , mental illness , mentally ill , coping (psychology) , psychology , culturally appropriate , mental health service , psychiatry , nursing , medicine , gerontology
Aims Mental illness is widespread among A boriginal men in A ustralia. However, they do not access mental health services in proportion to their need. Although several reports implicate cultural differences of mental health services as the cause of underutilization, very little is known about help seeking by A boriginal men who are mentally unwell. This study explores the help‐seeking behaviour of A boriginal men who are mentally unwell in a rural V ictorian community. Methods The study was carried out using a combination of culturally appropriate research methodologies. Within a Q ualitative D escription design, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with a range of A boriginal people including men, carers and those involved in service delivery. A total of 17 A boriginal people were interviewed, of whom 15 were men. Data were analysed thematically. Results Four themes emerged from the data collected. They included ‘Difficulty in recognizing mental health problems’, ‘Barriers to disclosing one's problems’, ‘Reluctance to contact services’ and ‘Alternate coping strategies’. Conclusions These findings suggest that there is a need for programmes that aim to improve mental health literacy and promote help seeking among A boriginal men who are mentally unwell. Such programmes need to be developed jointly by mental health services as well as A boriginal stakeholders, and implemented in a culturally sensitive and acceptable way.