Help-seeking behaviour in men and women with common mental health problems: cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND
Many people with mental health problems do not seek professional help but their use of other sources of help is unclear.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate patterns of lay and professional help-seeking in men and women aged 16-64 years in relation to severity of symptoms and socio-demographic variables.


METHODS
Postal questionnaire survey, including the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), sent to a stratified random sample (n=15,222) of the population of Somerset.


RESULTS
The response rate was 76%. Only 28% of people with extremely high GHQ-12 scores (> or = 8) had sought help from their general practitioner but most (78%) had sought some form of help. Males, young people and people living in affluent areas were the least likely to seek help.


CONCLUSIONS
Health promotion interventions to encourage appropriate help-seeking behaviour in young people, particularly in men, may lead to improvements in the mental health of this group of the population.
Oliver
Maria Isabel
MI
HPA South West, The Wheelhouse, Bond's Mill, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire GL10 3RE, UK. Isabel.oliver@hpa.org.uk
Pearson
Nicky
N
Coe
Nicola
N
Gunnell
David
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires