title: Factors in decisions to seek help from self-help and co-located community mental health agencies.
abstract: This study examined 673 new users of co-located mental health self-help agencies run by consumers and community mental health agencies to evaluate the relative importance of predisposing, enabling, and need factors in site selection. Although need dominated help site choice, clients' attitudes toward the helpfulness of mental health treatment and their fears of coerced or inadequate care played an important role in setting choice, a choice indicative of a more complex motivational dynamic in help seeking.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health and Social Welfare Research Group, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-7400, USA. spsegal@uclink4.berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Segal
authors.forename: Eric R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Hardiman
authors.forename: John Q
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Hodges
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*