Critical Evaluation of the Mental Health Literacy Framework Using Qualitative Data

Abstract

The Mental Health Literacy framework (Jorm, 2000) describes the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs that people hold about mental health. It has not been explored before in England or using a qualitative design. In 2001, the established Somerset Health Panels discussed attitudes to stress, depression and help seeking. A contemporary secondary analysis of the data originally collected during these focus groups was undertaken to review the Mental Health Literacy framework's six component parts: ability to recognise specific disorders or different types of psychological distress, knowledge/beliefs about risk factors and causes, knowledge/beliefs about self-help interventions, knowledge/beliefs about professional help, attitudes which facilitate recognition/help seeking and knowledge of how to seek information. The results reveal that qualitative data added depth to what was known previously and provided a range of new insights into Mental Health Literacy. There are challenges about recognising symptoms as they emerge, compared with ‘with hindsight’; there is a subtle balance between stigma and barriers to help seeking; accumulated adversity is perceived to be a key risk factor; coping strategies and stigma are cross-cutting themes; the general practitioner has significant influence in facilitating access to appropriate support. Overall, this paper demonstrates that the Mental Health Literacy framework provides an appropriate architecture for the range of research and discussion on this topic, where qualitative research adds depth to what was known previously, and new insights have been generated that indicate how the model might be adapted or expanded in the future.

Keywords:

• qualitative methods
• health panels
• stress
• depression
• help-seeking
• stigma
• coping