Mental Health Literacy for Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are prevalent and debilitating. However, most affected individuals do not seek professional help. This treatment-seeking gap has been partly attributed to low levels of mental health literacy (MHL). Research into MHL for anxiety disorders is relatively immature and limited. To address this, this thesis examined key dimensions and predictors of MHL, for specific anxiety disorders. First, a review of the literature on MHL is presented. Second, a systematic review was conducted to comprehensively investigate two components of MHL for anxiety disorders; recognition and treatment beliefs. Findings showed that levels of recognition for all anxiety disorders were typically low, that treatment beliefs frequently differed from professional recommendations and that methodological inconsistencies were common. Third, an empirical study assessed recognition and treatment beliefs for specific anxiety disorders. A sample of 625 university students were presented with five case vignettes in an online survey, describing individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and a life-stress scenario. Rates of recognition for all three anxiety disorders were significantly lower than those for depression, while professional help-seeking was recommended less frequently for SAD and GAD than for PD and MDD. Prior exposure to someone with a mental health condition consistently predicted disorder recognition, which in turn was a unique predictor of recommendations to seek professional help for SAD, GAD and MDD. Lastly, a discussion of findings and implications is presented. Research implications include the importance of theoretically based studies, with longitudinal and experimental designs and increased links between MHL and help-seeking behaviour. Clinical implications include greater focus on anxiety disorders in MHL interventions, with the inclusion of social contact initiatives.