Je. Wells et al., PERCEIVED BARRIERS TO CARE IN ST-LOUIS (USA) AND CHRISTCHURCH (NZ) - REASONS FOR NOT SEEKING PROFESSIONAL HELP FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 29(4), 1994, pp. 155-164
This paper examines perceived barriers to mental health care reported
in two very similar community surveys in two cities that are not only
on opposite sides of the world but that differ substantially in their
health care systems, their size, and their mix of ethnic groups, namel
y, St.Louis in the United States and Chirstchurch in New Zealand. Resp
ondents were asked about mental health care ever received, any failure
to seek care when required, and symptoms of 14 psychiatric disorders
according to DSM-III. The frequency with which respondents reported no
t seeking care and the popularity of specific reasons for not seeking
care were almost identical in the two sites. A common reason offered f
or not seeking care was doubt about the need for professional help; th
is appeared to be particularly common for people with alcohol disorder
. Respondents who said that they had failed to seek care when needed g
ave reasons that were mainly attitudinal, such as believing they shoul
d be strong enough to cope without professional help. Structural chara
cteristics of services such as cost, times open, and travel distance w
ere given less often. Sociodemographic factors had small or negligible
effect on care seeking.