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Have Mental Health Education Programs Influenced the Mental Health Literacy of Those with Major Depression and Suicidal Ideation? A Comparison between 1998 and 2008 in South Australia
Author(s) -
Chamberlain Peter N,
Goldney Robert D.,
Taylor Anne W.,
Eckert Kerena A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-278x.2012.00109.x
Subject(s) - suicidal ideation , mental health literacy , mental health , depression (economics) , psychiatry , clinical psychology , psychology , literacy , suicide prevention , mental illness , medicine , poison control , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics , pedagogy
Mental health literacy is the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that aid their recognition, management, or prevention and is considered to be an important determinant of help‐seeking. This has relevance in suicide prevention, as depression, the clinical condition most frequently associated with suicidality, has been the target of community and professional education programs designed to enhance mental health literacy. In this study, whether such programs have influenced help‐seeking attitudes and behavior in those who are depressed and suicidal was considered. The results indicate that despite intensive community education programs over the last two decades, there has been little change in those who are depressed and suicidal in terms of their attitudes toward treatment seeking and, more importantly, their treatment‐seeking behavior. These results draw into question the value of current community education programs for those most vulnerable to suicidal behavior.