Help-seeking behaviors for mental health problems in medical students: Studies in Thailand and India.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the rate of help-seeking from mental health professionals (MHPs) and other sources of help for mental health problems of medical students in Thailand and India, and explore factors associated with help-seeking from MHPs.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted in two medical schools in Thailand and India. Students were asked to rate their preferences for each source of help on a Likert-scale basis. Mental health status was measured by the General health questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Attitudes and stigma toward mental illness were collected using the Mental illness clinician's attitude scale: medical student version or MICA v2.

RESULTS

593 students participated in the survey. The percentage of students who chose to seek help from any source was lower in Thailand than in India. 81 % of students in India site chose to seek help from MHPs, compared to 66 % in Thailand site. The risk factors for avoiding seeking help from MHPs in Thailand were history of alcohol use (OR = 1.88, p = .014) and total GHQ score (OR = 1.11, p = .006), whereas having GHQ score ≥ 2 was a significant risk factor in India (OR = 2.20, p = .044). Total MICA score, which reflected overall attitude toward mental illness, was not associated with seeking help from MHPs.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of help-seeking behaviors for mental health problems and factors associated differed between medical students in Thailand and India. A high GHQ score was a common risk factor of not seeking help from MHPs in both countries.