Attitudes Towards Seeking Psychological Help
Mental illness is common. According to the Black Dog Institute, 20% of Australian’s aged 16-85 experience a mental illness each year, and almost half of us (45%) will experience a mental illness in our lifetimes. The most common mental illnesses are depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, and often these will occur in combination. For example, someone feeling anxious might misuse substances to reduce their distress, or a person experiencing a chronically low mood might also feel anxious about what the future holds for them. Of the 20% experiencing mental illness each year, 11.5% experience one or more illness (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009).
Accessing psychological support is important. While chronic disorders exist, the vast majority of those who seek support experience a reduction in their symptoms. Furthermore, a psychologist can provide you with strategies to use if ever a mental illness recurs, helping you to head off more serious episodes and rapidly return to full functioning. Unfortunately, more than half (54%) of people experiencing a mental illness do not seek treatment (Commonwealth of Australia, 2010). Indeed, only half as many as seek help for physical illnesses seek help for mental illnesses. These circumstances create a lot of unnecessary suffering and can make recovery more difficult if treatment is delayed.
Since starting our practice on the Northern Beaches, we’ve been interested in understanding what people’s attitudes are towards seeking psychological help, and what stops them from seeking a psychologist. Current research suggests that many factors can contribute to your likelihood of seeking help and that many factors stop us from seeking help when we are experiencing mental health difficulties. These include stigma (Jorm et al., 2007; Gulliver et al., 2010), not wanting to talk about presenting difficulties (Hinson and Swanson, 1993), anticipated costs (Vogel and Wester, 2003), feelings that you can “handle your problem on your own” (Rickwood et al., 2007; Gulliver et al., 2010; Chong et al., 2012b; Wilson and Deane, 2012), or that it will “go away” (Thompson et al., 2004; Sareen et al., 2007). While seeking help can be difficult, breaking down some of these barriers can open the door to a less distressing, more productive, and more fulfilling life. If you would like to discuss any of the concerns you might have about seeking help, contact us via the enquire now tab. Our team of Northern Beaches Psychologists would be happy to have a no-obligation chat with you, to assist you in making an appointment, or to discuss the mental health services that are available in our community.
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