title: Help-seeking patterns and attitudes to treatment amongst men who attempted suicide.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A high percentage of those who complete suicide are not in contact with the psychiatric services and this is particularly evident among men who are the most at-risk group.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine take-up of psychiatric services and attitudes to treatment among a sample of men who made a suicide attempt.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two males, aged between 18 and 30 years, who made a medically serious suicide attempt, were followed up 7 years later using chart information and national mortality records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On discharge from hospital all participants were referred to psychiatric aftercare services but one-third (32.7%) never presented and 20% attended only for a short period. Yet almost half (48%) of the sample made a subsequent attempt and 12% completed suicide. Factors contributing to low take-up of services include lack of awareness of psychiatric symptoms, reluctance to disclose distress and negative attitudes to seeking professional help.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Young males are reluctant to seek professional help for psychiatric problems even following a serious suicide attempt. Factors influencing this include health behaviours linked to traditional expectations for men as well as the type of services provided.
authors.affiliation: a School of Sociology, University College Dublin , Dublin , Ireland.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cleary
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Suicide; male health behaviours; psychiatric service utilisation