This chapter reports on services and other help, both formal and informal, that young people used for
emotional or behavioural problems as reported by 13-17 year-olds themselves.
Information about use of services, informal supports, and self-help strategies is presented for all 13-17
year-old adolescents and then by mental health status, that is, adolescents who:
i. met diagnostic criteria identified in DSM-IV for major depressive disorder based on their own
responses;
ii. met diagnostic criteria for any mental disorder identified in DSM-IV based on parent and
carer report (including major depressive disorder); and
iii. had no mental disorder on the basis of their own self-report, or parent or carer report.
This chapter also reports on adolescents’ perceived need for mental health care and the barriers that
they identified to seeking help or getting more help for their emotional or behavioural problems when
they had a mental disorder on the basis of their own report, or from parent and carer reports.
13.1 Service use by all adolescents
For the purpose of reporting service use in this section, a summary measure of ‘service use’ was
created that included all health, school and telephone counselling services, but only those online
services that provide structured or personalised assistance. While valuable in their own right, online
services where information is accessed on the internet but no other service is provided were excluded
from this composite measure.
‘Services’ comprised the following:
i. health services — any service provided by a qualified health professional regardless of
where that service was provided including in the community, hospital inpatient, outpatient
and emergency, and private rooms;
ii. school services — any service provided by the school or other educational institution that a
young person was attending;
iii. telephone counselling services; and
iv. online services that provided personalised assessment, support, counselling or structured
self-help programs.
Overall, 18.0% of 13-17 year-olds reported using services for emotional and behavioural problems in
the previous 12 months (Table 13-1). This figure of 18.0% is slightly less than the 21.4% of all 12-17
year-olds reported to have used services by their parents and carers as discussed in Chapter 7. The
proportion of females who reported using services was almost twice that of males (23.6% compared
with 12.7%).
122 The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents
Table 13-1: Service use for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months among 13-17 yearolds
by sex and type of service
Type of service Males (%) Females (%) Persons (%)
Health service 9.6 18.9 14.1
School service 8.8 16.2 12.4
Telephone counselling 2.4 4.8 3.6
Online personal support or counselling 1.5 2.7 2.1
Any service (a) 12.7 23.6 18.0
The proportion using school services is based on those who were at school at the time of the survey.
(a) Any service is not equal to the sum of individual services because adolescents may have used more than one type of
service.
13.2 headspace
headspace is the Australian Government funded National Youth Mental Health Foundation providing
support to young people aged 12-25 years who are experiencing mild to moderate mental health
concerns and/or substance use issues.
13.2.1 All adolescents
Just over one third (37.2%) of all 13-17 year-olds had heard about headspace.
Among all adolescents, 3.4% had either been in contact with a health professional by telephone or
online (1.6%) or had visited a headspace centre (2.8%) (Table 13-2). A larger proportion of 13-17 yearolds
had accessed information via the headspace or eheadspace websites (5.7%). More females than
males had accessed headspace services (10.2% versus 4.8%) largely due to higher proportions
accessing information on the websites.
Table 13-2: headspace services used for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months among
13-17 year-olds by sex and type of service
Type of service Males (%) Females (%) Persons (%)
Accessed information through headspace or eheadspace websites 3.1 8.4 5.7
Spoken to a mental health professional over the telephone or
received online support 1.1 2.2 1.6
Visited a headspace centre 2.4 3.3 2.8
Any headspace service (a) 4.8 10.2 7.4
(a) Any headspace service is not equal to the sum of individual headspace services because adolescents may have used
more than one type of service.
13.2.2 Adolescents with mental disorders
Half (54.4%) of those with major depressive disorder based on adolescent report and two fifths
(43.6%) of those with mental disorders based on parent and carer report had heard about headspace.
The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents 123
One fifth (20.2%) of 13-17 year-olds with major depressive disorder reported using a service provided
by headspace, with the majority of these accessing information on the headspace website or through
eheadspace (14.8%). One twelfth (8.5%) spoke to a mental health professional on the telephone or
received online support, and 11.0% visited a headspace centre (Table 13-3).
Table 13-3: headspace services used for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months among
13-17 year-olds by mental health status and type of service
Type of service
Major depressive
disorder based on
adolescent report
(%)
Any mental disorder
based on parent or
carer report
(%)
No disorder
(%)
Accessed information through headspace or
eheadspace websites 14.8 7.8 4.8
Spoken to a mental health professional over
the telephone or received online support 8.5 4.3 0.7
Visited a headspace centre 11.0 8.2 1.6
Any headspace service (a) 20.2 13.0 5.8
(a) Any headspace service is not equal to the sum of individual headspace services because adolescents may have used
more than one type of service.
In contrast, compared to those with self-reported major depressive disorder, fewer adolescents with
mental disorders based on parent and carer report (13.0%) had used headspace services for
emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months although a similar proportion (8.2%)
reported having visited a headspace centre.
A small proportion of adolescents (5.8%) with no mental disorders based on either adolescent or
parent or carer report had used headspace services in the previous 12 months.
13.3 Telephone counselling and online services
This section reports on use of telephone helplines such as Kids Helpline and online services including
services provided by headspace, Reachout and Youth beyondblue for emotional and behavioural
problems.
13.3.1 All adolescents
Of all 13-17 year-olds, 3.6% reported using a telephone counselling line for help or information in the
previous 12 months. The proportion was twice as high among females than males (4.8% compared
with 2.4%).
Just over one fifth (22.2%) of 13-17 year-olds had used an online service in the previous 12 months for
help or information about emotional or behavioural problems (Table 13-4). The proportion was
almost twice as high among females than males (28.9% compared with 15.9%). In particular, females
were twice as likely to seek information about mental health issues, to use an online assessment tool
or online personal support or counselling.
124 The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents
Table 13-4: Online service use for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months among 13-17
year-olds by sex and type of service
Type of online service Males (%) Females (%) Persons (%)
Information about mental health issues 9.3 20.1 14.5
Information about services in the community 4.2 7.4 5.8
Assessment tool 6.1 14.0 10.0
Self-help 3.7 5.1 4.4
Chat room or support group 2.6 3.7 3.1
Personal support or counselling 1.5 2.7 2.1
Any online service (a) 15.9 28.9 22.2
(a) Any online service is not equal to the sum of individual online services because adolescents may have used more than
one type of service.
13.3.2 Adolescents with mental disorders
Among all 13-17 year-olds with major depressive disorder based on adolescent report, 13.6% had
used a telephone counselling service, such as Kids Helpline, in the previous 12 months. Less (7.1%) of
those with mental disorders based on parent and carer report had used a telephone counselling
service for emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months.
Half (52.0%) of those with major depressive disorder based on adolescent report had used an online
service including services provided by headspace, Reachout and Youth beyondblue, to get help or
information about emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months (Table 13-5).
The main use of online services by 13-17 year-olds with major depressive disorder was to find
information about mental health issues (40.2%). Some websites provide access to an online
assessment tool and 29.6% of 13-17 year-olds with a major depressive disorder had used such a tool
(or questionnaire) to find out if they needed help. Others had participated in a chat room or support
group (8.6%), received online personal support or counselling (7.4%) or self-help (14.8%).
Use of online services for emotional or behavioural problems was higher among adolescents with
major depressive disorder than for those with mental disorders based on parent and carer report
(29.9%). More than twice the proportion of 13-17 year-olds with self-reported major depressive
disorder compared to those with mental disorders as reported by parents and carers had accessed
information about mental health issues (40.2% compared with 20.9%), used an online assessment
tool (29.6% compared to 12.4%) or online self-help (14.8% compared with 6.3%) in the previous 12
months.
One fifth (18.7%) of adolescents with no mental disorder based on either their own report or parent or
carer report had used an online service in the past 12 months. The main use of online services by this
group without mental disorders was for information about mental health issues (11.5%) and for
access to an online assessment tool (8.0%).
The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents 125
Table 13-5: Online service use for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months among 13-17
year-olds by mental health status and type of service
Type of online service
Major depressive
disorder based on
adolescent report
(%)
Any mental disorder
based on parent or
carer report
(%)
No disorder
(%)
Information about mental health issues 40.2 20.9 11.5
Information about services in the community 13.3 8.6 4.8
Assessment tool 29.6 12.4 8.0
Self-help 14.8 6.3 3.4
Chat room or support group 8.6 5.4 2.6
Personal support or counselling 7.4 4.7 1.2
Any online service (a) 52.0 29.9 18.7
(a) Any online service is not equal to the sum of individual online services because adolescents may have used more than
one type of service.
13.4 Informal help or support
Adolescents may often receive help with their problems from family members, friends, teachers at
school or other adults in their lives.
13.4.1 All adolescents
Nearly two thirds (62.9%) of all adolescents had received informal help or support for emotional or
behavioural problems in the previous 12 months (Table 13-6). This proportion was higher among
females than males (74.3% compared with 52.1%). Most commonly young people received informal
help or support from a friend (48.5%), a parent (46.1%) or a boyfriend or girlfriend (32.7%).
Table 13-6: Informal help or support received for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12
months among 13-17 year-olds by sex
Source of informal help or support Males (%) Females (%) Persons (%)
Parent 37.7 54.8 46.1
Brother or sister 18.3 32.1 25.0
Other family member 14.1 24.8 19.3
Boyfriend or girlfriend 25.3 40.8 32.7
Friend 35.1 62.2 48.5
Teacher 14.4 19.1 16.7
Other school staff 9.4 17.0 13.1
Other unrelated adult 11.8 20.3 15.9
Any informal support 52.1 74.3 62.9
(a) Any type of informal support is not equal to the sum of individual types of informal support because adolescents may
have received more than one type of support.
126 The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents
13.4.2 Adolescents with mental disorders
Most 13-17 year-olds with major depressive disorder by adolescent report (93.9%) or with mental
disorders by parent and carer report (80.3%) had received informal help or support for emotional or
behavioural problems in the previous 12 months (Table 13-7).
Friends and parents were the most common sources of informal help or support for 13-17 year-olds
with major depressive disorder, with 78.5% receiving help from a friend and 64.1% from a parent. Just
over a quarter had received informal support from a teacher and one third from another school staff
member, such as a counsellor or nurse (28.7% and 35.8% respectively).
Sources of support were similar for those with mental disorders by parent and carer report compared
to those with major depressive disorder by adolescent report. The exception was lower proportions
among those with any mental disorder receiving support from a friend (57.2%) or boyfriend or
girlfriend if applicable (45.1%).
More than half (57.9%) of 13-17 year-olds without mental disorders had received informal support or
help for emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months.
Table 13-7: Informal help or support received for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12
months among 13-17 year-olds by mental health status
Source of informal help or support
Major depressive
disorder based on
adolescent report
(%)
Any mental disorder
based on parent or
carer report
(%)
No disorder
(%)
Parent 64.1 67.4 41.9
Brother or sister 36.8 33.6 22.9
Other family member 30.7 29.9 17.0
Boyfriend or girlfriend 67.4 45.1 27.4
Friend 78.5 57.2 44.8
Teacher 28.7 24.1 14.8
Other school staff 35.8 28.1 9.4
Other unrelated adult 31.0 31.3 12.5
Any informal support 93.9 80.3 57.9
(a) Any type of informal support is not equal to the sum of individual types of informal support because adolescents may
have received more than one type of support.
13.5 Self-help strategies
Adolescents also reported other strategies they adopted to help them manage any emotional or
behavioural problems that they may have had or to avoid having such problems.
13.5.1 All adolescents
Two thirds (66.4%) of all adolescents had adopted some kind of strategy to help themselves manage
or avoid emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months (Table 13-8). This proportion
The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents 127
was higher among females than males (73.2% compared with 59.9%). Most commonly, adolescents
did more of the things that they enjoyed (45.1%), did more exercise or took up a sport (37.9%), sought
support from friends (24.4%) and improved their diet (23.2%).
Table 13-8: Self-help strategies used for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months among
13-17 year-olds by sex
Type of self-help strategy Males (%) Females (%) Persons (%)
Did more exercise or took up a sport 35.3 40.6 37.9
Improved your diet 18.2 28.4 23.2
Meditated or did relaxation therapy 6.4 12.1 9.2
Did more of the things you enjoy 43.7 46.6 45.1
Smoked cigarettes, or used alcohol or drugs 6.2 9.7 7.9
Stopped smoking, drinking alcohol or using drugs 1.6 1.5 1.6
Sought support from friends 17.1 32.0 24.4
Sought support through social networking 4.6 6.7 5.6
Joined a social group of some kind 4.6 4.8 4.7
Sought information in books, magazines or on TV 6.4 10.6 8.5
Any type of self-help strategy (a) 59.9 73.2 66.4
(a) Any type of self-help strategy is not equal to the sum of individual self-help strategies because adolescents may have
used more than one type of strategy.
13.5.2 Adolescents with mental disorders
Among 13-17 year-olds with major depressive disorder by adolescent report, 84.2% had used some
kind of strategy to help themselves with problems they were experiencing in the previous 12 months
(Table 13-9).
To help manage their emotional or behavioural problems, adolescents with major depressive
disorder most commonly did more exercise or took up a sport (44.3%), did more of the activities that
they enjoyed (44.0%) and sought support from friends (42.5%). However, almost a third (31.5%) of
adolescents with major depressive disorder smoked cigarettes or used alcohol or drugs to help
manage their problems.
Three quarters (75.0%) of adolescents with mental disorders based on parent on carer report had
adopted self-help strategies for emotional or behavioural problems. Mostly the types of strategies
were similar although a higher proportion of those with major depressive disorder compared with
those with any mental disorder had sought support from friends (42.5% compared with 24.6%) or
smoked cigarettes, or used alcohol or drugs (31.5% compared with 19.1%) to help manage their own
emotional or behavioural problems.
Nearly two thirds of those with no mental disorder by their own report or parent or carer report had
used some kind of self-help strategy in the previous 12 months (63.5%).
128 The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents
Table 13-9: Self-help strategies used for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months among
13-17 year-olds by mental health status
Type of self-help strategy
Major depressive
disorder based
on adolescent
report (%)
Any mental
disorder based
on parent or
carer report (%)
No disorder
(%)
Did more exercise or took up a sport 44.3 38.3 37.1
Improved your diet 25.8 24.3 22.7
Meditated or did relaxation therapy 20.7 13.3 7.5
Did more of the things you enjoy 44.0 43.5 45.3
Smoked cigarettes, or used alcohol or drugs 31.5 19.1 4.6
Stopped smoking, drinking alcohol or using drugs 4.5 4.9 0.8
Sought support from friends 42.5 24.6 22.7
Sought support through social networking 12.4 9.9 4.6
Joined a social group of some kind 6.3 6.9 4.1
Sought information in books, magazines or on TV 14.9 8.4 8.0
Any type of self-help strategy (a) 84.2 75.0 63.5
(a) Any type of self-help strategy is not equal to the sum of individual self-help strategies because adolescents may have
used more than one type of strategy.
13.6 Perceived need for help and barriers to receiving mental health care
Adolescents aged 13-17 years were asked about what help they needed with their emotional or
behavioural problems and whether their needs for this kind of help had been met. The help was
categorised into four types:
Information about emotional or behavioural problems, treatment and available services;
Prescribed medication for emotional or behavioural problems;
Counselling or a talking therapy about problems or difficulties (either one-on-one, as a family,
or in a group); and
Courses or other counselling for life skills, self-esteem or motivation.
13.6.1 Perceived need for help for young people with disorders
Four fifths of adolescents with major depressive disorder (82.4%) reported a need for one or more
types of help for emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months (Table 13-10). Of those
adolescents with major depressive disorder that reported a need for one or more types of help, three
quarters (76.8%) reported that their needs were met either fully (28.1%) or partially (48.7%), while one
quarter (23.2%) had needs that were unmet.
The most common type of help adolescents with major depressive disorder felt that they needed in
the previous 12 months was counselling or a talking therapy (68.8%) and of these, 70.4% reported that
their needs were met either fully (39.0%) or partially (31.4%).
The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents 129
More than half of adolescents with major depressive disorder (55.9%) reported a need for information
about emotional or behavioural problems, treatment and available services of which one fifth (21.4%)
reported that their needs were unmet.
The greatest areas of unmet need according to adolescents with major depressive disorder who had
reported a need for help were for courses or other counselling for life skills, self-esteem or motivation
(51.5%) and for prescribed medication (44.2%).
Table 13-10: Perceived need for services for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months
among 13-17 year-olds with major depressive disorder by type of help
Level of perceived need
Information
(%)
Medication
(%)
Counselling
(%)
Life skills
(%)
Any type of
help (%) (b)
No need 44.1 59.7 31.2 57.7 17.6
Any need— 55.9 40.3 68.8 42.3 82.4
Needs fully met (a) 47.4 28.6 39.0 25.6 28.1
Needs partially met (a) 31.2 27.2 31.4 22.9 48.7
Needs unmet (a) 21.4 44.2 29.6 51.5 23.2
(a) The proportion of those reporting any need whose needs were fully met, partially met or unmet.
(b) Where need for more than one type of help was identified, level of perceived need for any type of help has been derived
from the level of perceived need for each type of help needed (see glossary for details).
About half (56.4%) of adolescents with a mental disorder identified by parents and carers reported a
need for one or more types of help for emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months
(Table 13-11).Of those adolescents with mental disorders that reported a need for one or more types
of help, about nine out of ten (86.9%) reported that their needs were met either fully (47.5%) or
partially (39.4%) while one tenth (13.1%) had needs that were unmet.
Counselling was the type of need most commonly reported (41.6%) by adolescents with mental
disorders based on parent and carer report. Of those adolescents reporting a need for counselling or
talking therapy, 84.8% reported that their needs were either fully met (57.7%) or partially met (27.1%).
One third of adolescents with mental disorders identified by parents and carers (35.7%) reported a
need for information about emotional or behavioural problems, treatment and available services, of
which four fifths (81.8%) reported that their needs were met either fully (55.8%) or partially (26.0%).
About three in ten (28.3%) identified a need for medication, of which just under a third (31.5%) had
unmet need. One fifth (22.8%) reported a need for counselling for life skills, counselling for life skills,
self-esteem or motivation, of which nearly two fifths (37.9%) had unmet need.
Compared to 13-17 year-olds with a major depressive disorder by their own report, those with mental
disorders identified by parent and carer report had lower levels of unmet need for all types of help.
130 The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents
Table 13-11: Perceived need for services for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months
among 13-17 year-olds with mental disorders identified from parent or carer report by type of help
Level of perceived need
Information
(%)
Medication
(%)
Counselling
(%)
Life skills
(%)
Any type of
help (%) (b)
No need 64.3 71.7 58.4 77.2 43.6
Any need— 35.7 28.3 41.6 22.8 56.4
Needs fully met (a) 55.8 47.5 57.7 43.5 47.5
Needs partially met (a) 26.0 20.9 27.1 18.6 39.4
Needs unmet (a) 18.3 31.5 15.2 37.9 13.1
(a) The proportion of those reporting any need whose needs were fully met, partially met or unmet.
(b) Where need for more than one type of help was identified, level of perceived need for any type of help has been derived
from the level of perceived need for each type of help needed (see glossary for details).
13.6.2 Perceived need by severity of impact
The extent to which 13-17 year-olds reported a perceived need for help with their emotional or
behavioural problems increased with severity of disorder. Those with moderate and severe disorders
had greater perceived need than those with mild disorders. For those with some need for assistance,
the proportion of young people whose needs were fully or partially met also increased with the
severity of their disorder, with more moderate and severe cases having these needs fully or partially
met. These relationships were found regardless of whether the identification of mental disorders was
based only on the young person’s self-report of major depressive disorder or on the information
about a broader range of mental disorders provided by the parent or carer.
For adolescents identified as having a severe or moderate major depressive disorder based on their
own self report, most indicated that they had a need for help with emotional and behavioural
problems (90.7% and 94.8% respectively). A lower proportion (65.4%) of those with mild depressive
disorder felt that they had a need for some type of help (Table 13-12).
Around nine in ten (87.9%) adolescents with a severe major depressive disorder who reported some
type of need for help indicated that their needs were either fully (24.9%) or partially (63.0%) met.
Lower rates of fully or partially met need were reported by adolescents with moderate (69.4%) and
mild depressive disorders (70.2%).
Table 13-12: Perceived need for any type of help for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12
months among 13-17 year-olds with major depressive disorder by severity of impact
Level of perceived need Mild (%) Moderate (%) Severe (%)
All major depressive
disorder (%)
No need 34.6 5.2 9.3 17.6
Any need— 65.4 94.8 90.7 82.4
Needs fully met (a) 32.5 27.8 24.9 28.1
Needs partially met (a) 37.7 41.6 63.0 48.7
Needs unmet (a) 29.8 30.7 12.1 23.2
(a) The proportion of those reporting any need whose needs were fully met, partially met or unmet.
The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents 131
For adolescents aged 13-17 years identified as having mental disorders based on the information
provided by parents and carers, a larger percentage of those with severe (70.0%) and moderate
disorders (67.8%) indicated a need for help than those with mild disorders (41.1%) (Table 13-13).
About nine in ten of those with a severe or moderate disorder (91.2% and 90.2% respectively) who
reported some type of need for help indicated that their needs were either fully met (42.4% for severe
disorders and 49.4% for moderate disorders) or partially met (48.8% for severe disorders and 40.8%
for moderate disorders). Slightly lower rates (79.2%) of met need (fully or partially) were reported by
adolescents identified as having mild disorders.
Table 13-13: Perceived need for any type of help for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12
months among 13-17 year-olds with mental disorders by parent or carer report by severity of impact
Level of perceived need Mild (%) Moderate (%) Severe (%)
Any mental
disorder (%)
No need 58.9 32.2 30.0 43.6
Any need— 41.1 67.8 70.0 56.4
Needs fully met (a) 49.3 49.4 42.4 47.5
Needs partially met (a) 29.9 40.8 48.8 39.4
Needs unmet (a) 20.8 9.8 8.8 13.1
(a) The proportion of those reporting any need whose needs were fully met, partially met or unmet.
13.6.3 Comparing adolescent and parent or carer views about perceived need for help
Adolescents aged 13-17 years with mental disorders based on the information provided by their
parent or carer were less likely to report a need for any help than parents and carers (56.4% compared
to 84.8%) (Table 13-14). Parents and carers were more likely to report a need for help for all types of
help except for prescribed medication were a similar proportion of adolescents reported a need for
help.
Table 13-14: Perceived need for help for emotional or behavioural problems in past 12 months by
parent or carer report and adolescent report among 13-17 year-olds with mental disorders by parent
or carer report
Type of help
Proportion with a need
as reported by parent or
carer (%)
Proportion with a need
as reported by the
adolescent (%)
Information 50.6 35.7
Medication 28.9 28.3
Counselling 76.1 41.6
Life skills 41.8 22.8
Any type of help 84.8 56.4
132 The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents
13.6.4 Barriers to seeking and receiving help
The most commonly identified reasons given by 13-17 year-olds with major depressive disorder by
adolescent report for not seeking help or receiving more help for emotional or behavioural problems
were being worried about what other people might think or not wanting to talk to a stranger (62.9%),
thinking the problem would get better by itself (61.7%) and wanting to work out the problem on their
own or with help from family or friends (57.1%) (Table 13-15).
Among adolescents with mental disorders based on information provided by their parents and carers,
the most common reasons cited for not seeking help or receiving more help were similar to those with
major depressive disorder but proportions identifying these reasons were lower for most categories.
Table 13-15: Barriers to help seeking or receiving more help for emotional or behavioural problems in
past 12 months among 13-17 year-olds with major depressive disorder by adolescent report or any
mental disorder by parent or carer report
Barriers
Major depressive
disorder based on
adolescent report (%)
Any mental disorder
based on parent or carer
report (%)
Preferred to handle by self or with family/friends 57.1 43.6
Not sure if they needed help 49.9 44.1
Not sure where to get help 25.8 18.9
Thought problem would get better 61.7 47.1
Asked for help at school but didn’t get it 9.2 13.8
Problem getting to a service that could help 4.6 7.6
Couldn’t afford it 28.2 21.2
Couldn’t get an appointment 6.9 5.9
Concerned about what people might think or didn’t want
to talk to a stranger 62.9 43.9
If adolescents reported more than one reason for not seeking help or receiving more help, they were
also asked to identify the main reason. The most common main reasons for adolescents with major
depressive disorder not seeking help or not receiving more help included not being sure if they
needed help, where to get help or thinking that the problem would get better by itself, issues which
could be broadly classified as mental health literacy (33.1%) (Table 13-16).
Just over one quarter of adolescents with major depressive disorder (26.2%) identified reasons
related to them wishing to manage their problems themselves, and another quarter (27.9%) reported
being worried about what other people might think or not wanting to talk about it with a stranger, as
the main reason for not seeking help or receiving more help for emotional and behavioural problems.
One eighth (12.8%) identified reasons that related to accessibility of services, such as thinking it might
cost too much, having a problem getting to a service that could help or not being able to get an
appointment when needed.
Among adolescents with a mental disorder identified by parents and carers, the main reason
identified for not seeking help or receiving more help included not being sure if they needed help,
The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents 133
where to get help or thinking that the problem would get better by itself, primarily to do with issues of
mental health literacy (42.3%). One quarter (26.7%) of adolescents with mental disorders identified
the desire to manage their problem by themselves or with help from family or friends as being the
main reason for not seeking help or receiving more help.
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