title: Disseminating treatment for anxiety disorders: step 1: recognizing the problem as a precursor to seeking help.
abstract: Untreated mental illness is a substantial public health issue in the United States, with only approximately 1/3 of the estimated 46 million adults in the US with mental illness receiving treatment. Many of the individuals with mental illness suffer from excessive anxiety, as over 25% of Americans experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetime and most of these individuals remain untreated. Building from the premise that recognizing one's symptoms precedes requests for help, the current paper presents data from 577 adults (50% Caucasian, 50% African American) in the US regarding their ability to recognize anxiety disorders. Findings from a national survey showed that when presented with detailed vignettes portraying symptoms and their impact, 50% of respondents correctly recognized depression, whereas less than 20% correctly recognized the anxiety disorders. Recognition that the symptoms were a cause for concern was much more common, with 75% or more of the sample noting concern. Responses were surprisingly similar across the two races, and few consistent moderators were found. In conclusion, increasing recognition of anxiety disorders may be a useful first step toward increasing service utilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Clearview Hall, Binghamton University, 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Vestal, NY 13902, USA. Electronic address: mcoles@binghamton.edu.
authors.forename: Meredith E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Coles
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Clearview Hall, Binghamton University, 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Vestal, NY 13902, USA. Electronic address: jschube1@binghamton.edu.
authors.forename: Jessica R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Schubert
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Weiss Hall, Temple University, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: Heimberg@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Heimberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, 1642 East Helen Street, Tuscon, AZ 85719, USA. Electronic address: bdweiss@arizona.edu.
authors.forename: Barry D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Anxiety disorders; Dissemination; Mental health literacy; Race; Treatment; Treatment-seeking