Help-Seeking Behavior and Treatment Barriers in Anxiety Disorders

Results from a Representative German Community Survey

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8907665
AutoresIngmar Heinig (0000-0002-7762-4327, Technische Universität Dresden, autor de correspondencia), Hans-Ulrich Wittchen (0000-0002-6311-7711, Technische Universität Dresden), Susanne Knappe (0000-0003-1206-4928, Technische Universität Dresden)
Año2021
Volumen57
Número8
Páginas1505-1517
Fecha de publicación2021-01-20
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCommunity Mental Health Journal (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0010-3853 • E-ISSN: 1573-2789
EditorialSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s10597-020-00767-5
PMID33471256
OpenAlexW3123513771
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas6
Referencias citadas73

Although effective therapies exist, treatment rates of anxiety disorders (AD) are low, raising the question why affected individuals do not receive treatment. We provide data from the nationally representative German Health Interview and Examination Survey-2011 (DEGS1) on the help-seeking behavior and perceived treatment barriers of 650 subjects with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (DSM-IV AD). Only 26% of all cases with AD in the community reported having had contact with mental health services because of their anxiety problems in their lifetime. 16% were currently receiving professional help, most frequently by psychotherapists (8%), psychiatrists (5%) and general practitioners (5%). 40% of all cases never even considered seeking help and 31% reported barriers to treatment, such as self-reliance (18%) or beliefs that treatments were ineffective (9%), unavailable (8%) or too stigmatizing (7%). Measures to increase treatment rates should thus target individual as well as public attitudes and health literacy to increase awareness of and access to evidence-based interventions

Anxiety · German · Help-seeking · Mental health · Mental health literacy · Mental illness · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Public health · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Nursing · Psychology