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Which women seek help for their psychiatric problems?

S E Romans-Clarkson1, V A Walton, D J Dons

  • 1Department of Psychological Medicine, Otago Medical School, Dunedin.

The New Zealand Medical Journal
|September 26, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Most adult women with psychiatric disorders do not seek treatment. Help-seeking behavior for mental health issues is low, especially among young women, indicating a need for better community awareness.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Public Health
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Minor psychiatric morbidity affects a significant portion of the adult female population.
  • Understanding help-seeking behaviors is crucial for effective mental healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the help-seeking patterns of adult women experiencing minor psychiatric morbidity.
  • To identify barriers and facilitators to accessing mental health services.

Main Methods:

  • A random community survey was conducted using electoral rolls in Otago.
  • A subsample (n=314) of women was interviewed in their homes using structured diagnostic interviews.
  • Sociodemographic data and information on help-seeking were collected.

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Main Results:

  • 7.8% of women exhibited symptoms of depressive, anxiety, or phobic disorders.
  • Only 35% of affected women sought help from any source.
  • General practitioners were the primary source of help (86%), but 13% had not visited their GP in six months.
  • Alternative therapies were rarely used.

Conclusions:

  • The majority of women with psychiatric illnesses are not receiving necessary treatment.
  • Low help-seeking rates, particularly among young women, suggest poor community awareness of mental health issues.
  • There is a need to improve mental health literacy and access to care for women.