title: Correlates of a perceived need for mental health assistance and differences between those who do and do not seek help.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study examined prevalence of perceived need for mental health assistance, characteristics of people with a perceived need, and how persons with a need who sought help were different from those who did not.
  
  
  METHODS
  A national random phone survey (n = 1,394) was conducted in Israel, which included questions about (1) perceived need for mental health assistance and (2) help seeking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of life-time and recent perceived need for males was 21% and 10.7%, and for females 31% and 15.1%. Of those with a perceived need, 31.4% of males and 41.6% of females had gone for help. Based on logistic regression models, the variables associated with need were being female, divorced, having a chronic physical disease, and low income (for males only), while predictors of help seeking were living in a big city and not being a recent immigrant. The major sources of help in descending order were: mental health professionals (46%), family physician (25%), family or friends (19%), and other (10%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A majority of people who feel that they need help for mental health problems do not get help.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012494:Sampling Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013689:Telephone