What's in a name? Is accurate recognition and labelling of mental disorders by young people associated with better help-seeking and treatment preferences?

Abstract

Background: The possible benefits or harms of using psychiatric labels in the community have been a focus of debate for many decades. The aim of this study was to examine associations between the accuracy of labelling of depression or psychosis by young people aged 12-25 and their help-seeking, treatment and self-help preferences, whilst controlling for a range of potential confounding factors. Methods: A randomly selected population sample of 1,207 young people aged 12-25 years from several regions of Victoria, Australia, was interviewed via a telephone survey. The structured interviews used vignettes of a young person with either depression or psychosis followed by a series of questions re..