Attitude Towards Mental Illness Among Young Adults: Seeking Psychological Professional Help

Worldwide despite the emerging trends of mental health campaigns, the term mental illness and mental health itself is getting a bad press and eventually results in a stigmatized public image. The attitudinal shift in the young population towards mental health and mental illness can eventually result in the effective management of the mental health sector in India. People can handle their mental illness struggles through taking time bound effective psychological interventions and early detection which will be possible through proper awareness and outlook. In order to develop interventions for mental hygiene in the current trends towards seeking support and identifying the point of views are inevitable. The aim of the study is to assess the attitude of young adults towards mental illness and seeking professional support. The study also aspires to bring about awareness regarding the existing stigma around mental illness and other impeding factors which stops people from seeking professional support, thereby enabling commoners to overcome such barriers and choose their individual well-being over anything else. MATERIALS AND METHODS—Young adults within age group of 18–25 from various parts of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are asked to fill forms with Sociodemographic data sheet along with Attitude towards mental illness scale (ASMI) and Attitude towards Seeking Psychological Professional Help scale-Short Form (ATSPPH-SF). Results show that many young adults are reluctant to seek professional help because of stigma, gender stereotypes, cultural beliefs, and misconceptions about the effectiveness of treatment, despite the fact that they confront many obstacles that could negatively impact their mental health.