Stigma about mental health is often cited as a major reason why those who would benefit from treatment for mental health disorders do not seek help. It is suggested that potential consumers deny themselves treatment in order to avoid the resulting public discrimination and self- stigmatisation. However, the empirical evidence to support this theory is mixed. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the research on either side of the debate. Although some evidence for an association between attitudes, intentions and behaviour towards care seeking exists it is not conclusive. Typically, correlational studies are used so causation cannot be established. In addition, much research is limited by the sampling of non-clinical populations. The lack of established scales and universally accepted concepts of stigma reduce the amount to which studies are comparable. Thus, the research considered does not provide conclusive evidence that stigma negatively affects treatment seeking. However, further research is needed to investigate the mediating effects of different factors affecting care seeking and this may further our understanding of the role of stigma in treatment seeking.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:582752 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Taggart, Susanna E. |
| Publisher | University of Surrey |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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