Beliefs about first aid for mental disorders: results from a mental health literacy survey of Japanese high school students

Abstract

The aim of the study was to carry out a survey of Japanese high school students in order to assess their beliefs about how best to help those with depression, social phobia and psychosis/schizophrenia. In 2011, 311 Japanese high school students aged 15–19 years filled out an anonymous self-report questionnaire distributed via teachers. Participants were given a case vignette describing depression, schizophrenia or social phobia. Subsequent questions covered their beliefs about the best way to help the person (mental health first-aid actions). The first-aid actions most commonly rated as helpful were listening to the person's problems in an understanding way and talking to the person firmly a..