Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Clinical Neurology, Psychiatry, Neurosciences & Neurology, Suicidal past, Attitudes, Stigma, Help-seeking, Cross-national, GENERAL-POPULATION, RISK-FACTORS, SELF-STIGMA, IDEATION, ADOLESCENTS, INTENTIONS, BEHAVIORS, VARIABLES, JAPAN, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Belgium, Female, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Humans, Male, Mental Disorders, Middle Aged, Netherlands, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Retrospective Studies, Social Stigma, Socioeconomic Factors, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide, Attempted, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult, 11 Medical and Health Sciences, 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences, 42 Health sciences, 52 Psychology

Abstract:

A significant proportion of suicidal persons do not seek help for their psychological problems. Psychological help-seeking is assumed to be a protective factor for suicide. However, different studies showed that negative attitudes and stigma related to help-seeking are major barriers to psychological help-seeking. These attitudes and stigma are not merely individual characteristics but they are also developed by and within society. The aim of this study is twofold. First, we investigate if persons with a suicidal past differ from people without a suicidal past with respect to help-seeking intentions, attitudes toward help-seeking, stigma and attitudes toward suicide. The second aim is to investigate if these attitudinal factors differ between people living in two regions with similar socio-economic characteristics but deviating suicide rates.