E G Karam1,2,3, G E Karam1,2,3, C Farhat1, L Itani1, J Fayyad1,2,3, A N Karam1,2,3, Z Mneimneh1,4, R Kessler5, G Thornicroft6. 1. Institute for Development, Research, Advocacy and Applied Care (IDRAAC), Beirut, Lebanon. 2. Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Balamand University Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon. 3. Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, St George Hospital University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. 4. Michigan Program in Survey Methodology, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. 5. Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 6. Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, HSPR, London, UK.
Abstract
AIMS: To investigate for the first time the determinants and barriers of seeking help for mental disorders in the Arab world based on a national study: Lebanese Evaluation of the Burden of Ailments and Needs Of the Nation (L.E.B.A.N.O.N). METHODS: A nationally representative (n = 2857) and multistage clustered area probability household sample of adults ≥18 years and older was assessed for lifetime and 12 months mental disorders using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. In addition, detailed information was obtained on help- seeking behaviour and barriers to treatment. RESULTS: In total, 19.7% of the Lebanese with mental disorders sought any type of treatment: 91% of those who sought treatment did so within the health sector. Severity and perceived severity of disorders predicted seeking help, the highest being for panic disorder. The greatest barrier to seek help was low perceived need for treatment (73.9%). Stigma was reported to be a factor only in 5.9% of those who thought about seeking treatment. Eighty per cent of the Lebanese reported they would not be embarrassed if friends knew they were seeking help from a professional. CONCLUSIONS: A small fraction of Lebanese seek help for their mental health problems: female gender, higher education and income are predictors of positive attitudes to help seeking. Severity and recognition of disorders, more than stigma, to get treatment seem to be the most important factors in determining help seeking. The findings underscore the importance of helping the public recognise mental health disorders.
AIMS: To investigate for the first time the determinants and barriers of seeking help for mental disorders in the Arab world based on a national study: Lebanese Evaluation of the Burden of Ailments and Needs Of the Nation (L.E.B.A.N.O.N). METHODS: A nationally representative (n = 2857) and multistage clustered area probability household sample of adults ≥18 years and older was assessed for lifetime and 12 months mental disorders using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. In addition, detailed information was obtained on help- seeking behaviour and barriers to treatment. RESULTS: In total, 19.7% of the Lebanese with mental disorders sought any type of treatment: 91% of those who sought treatment did so within the health sector. Severity and perceived severity of disorders predicted seeking help, the highest being for panic disorder. The greatest barrier to seek help was low perceived need for treatment (73.9%). Stigma was reported to be a factor only in 5.9% of those who thought about seeking treatment. Eighty per cent of the Lebanese reported they would not be embarrassed if friends knew they were seeking help from a professional. CONCLUSIONS: A small fraction of Lebanese seek help for their mental health problems: female gender, higher education and income are predictors of positive attitudes to help seeking. Severity and recognition of disorders, more than stigma, to get treatment seem to be the most important factors in determining help seeking. The findings underscore the importance of helping the public recognise mental health disorders.
Entities:
Keywords:
Barriers; mental disorders; public health; stigma; treatment
Authors: Mark Tomlinson; Igor Rudan; Shekhar Saxena; Leslie Swartz; Alexander C Tsai; Vikram Patel Journal: Bull World Health Organ Date: 2009-06 Impact factor: 9.408
Authors: Sarah Clement; Francesca Lassman; Elizabeth Barley; Sara Evans-Lacko; Paul Williams; Sosei Yamaguchi; Mike Slade; Nicolas Rüsch; Graham Thornicroft Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2013-07-23
Authors: S Clement; O Schauman; T Graham; F Maggioni; S Evans-Lacko; N Bezborodovs; C Morgan; N Rüsch; J S L Brown; G Thornicroft Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2014-02-26 Impact factor: 7.723
Authors: Salih Alhasnawi; Sabah Sadik; Mohammad Rasheed; Ali Baban; Mahdi M Al-Alak; Abdulrahman Yonis Othman; Yonis Othman; Nezar Ismet; Osman Shawani; Srinivasa Murthy; Monaf Aljadiry; Somnath Chatterji; Naeema Al-Gasseer; Emmanuel Streel; Nirmala Naidoo; Mohamed Mahomoud Ali; Michael J Gruber; Maria Petukhova; Nancy A Sampson; Ronald C Kessler Journal: World Psychiatry Date: 2009-06 Impact factor: 49.548
Authors: L H Andrade; J Alonso; Z Mneimneh; J E Wells; A Al-Hamzawi; G Borges; E Bromet; R Bruffaerts; G de Girolamo; R de Graaf; S Florescu; O Gureje; H R Hinkov; C Hu; Y Huang; I Hwang; R Jin; E G Karam; V Kovess-Masfety; D Levinson; H Matschinger; S O'Neill; J Posada-Villa; R Sagar; N A Sampson; C Sasu; D J Stein; T Takeshima; M C Viana; M Xavier; R C Kessler Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2013-08-09 Impact factor: 7.723
Authors: Philip S Wang; Matthias Angermeyer; Guilherme Borges; Ronny Bruffaerts; Wai Tat Chiu; Giovanni DE Girolamo; John Fayyad; Oye Gureje; Josep Maria Haro; Yueqin Huang; Ronald C Kessler; Viviane Kovess; Daphna Levinson; Yoshibumi Nakane; Mark A Oakley Brown; Johan H Ormel; José Posada-Villa; Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola; Jordi Alonso; Sing Lee; Steven Heeringa; Beth-Ellen Pennell; Somnath Chatterji; T Bedirhan Ustün Journal: World Psychiatry Date: 2007-10 Impact factor: 49.548
Authors: Meredith G Harris; Alan E Kazdin; Richard J Munthali; Daniel V Vigo; Irving Hwang; Nancy A Sampson; Ali Al-Hamzawi; Jordi Alonso; Laura Helena Andrade; Guilherme Borges; Brendan Bunting; Silvia Florescu; Oye Gureje; Elie G Karam; Sing Lee; Fernando Navarro-Mateu; Daisuke Nishi; Charlene Rapsey; Kate M Scott; Juan Carlos Stagnaro; Maria Carmen Viana; Bogdan Wojtyniak; Miguel Xavier; Ronald C Kessler Journal: Int J Ment Health Syst Date: 2022-01-29
Authors: Racha Abi Hana; Maguy Arnous; Eva Heim; Anaïs Aeschlimann; Mirja Koschorke; Randa S Hamadeh; Graham Thornicroft; Brandon A Kohrt; Marit Sijbrandij; Pim Cuijpers; Rabih El-Chammay Journal: Int J Ment Health Syst Date: 2022-05-07
Authors: Abdullah S Al-Subaie; Yasmin A Altwaijri; Abdulhameed Al-Habeeb; Lisa Bilal; Amani Almeharish; Nancy A Sampson; Howard Liu; Ronald C Kessler Journal: Int J Methods Psychiatr Res Date: 2020-06-11 Impact factor: 4.182