Title: 8 Reasons Why People Don’t Get Treatment for Mental Illness | Advocating for Better Mental Health
Headings: 8 Reasons Why People Don’t Get Treatment for Mental Illness
8 Reasons Why People Don’t Get Treatment for Mental Illness
1) Fear and shame
2) Lack of insight
3) Limited awareness
4) Feelings of inadequacy
5) Distrust
6) Hopelessness
7) Unavailability
8) Practical barriers
Addressing the problem
For more on this topic, please see my recent post on overcoming these 8 barriers to treatment.
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Content: Then the question that begs to be answered is “Why don’t people get help?” Let’s take a look at eight of the most common reasons that prevent people from obtaining needed mental health services: 1) Fear and shame
One of the most common reasons for not seeking help is fear and shame. People recognize the negative stigma and discrimination associated with having a mental illness and don’t want to be labeled “mentally ill” or “crazy.” They may also have concerns about how such a label could negatively impact their career, education, or other life goals. 2) Lack of insight
If someone has clear signs of a mental illness but says “there’s nothing wrong with me,” “I’m not sick,” or “I don’t need any help,” this signals a severe lack of insight. This is also known as anosognosia (uh-no-sog-NOH-zee-uh), seen in 50% or more of persons with schizophrenia or other severe mental illnesses. If someone truly believes they aren’t sick, they feel no need to seek or accept treatment. 3) Limited awareness
A person may acknowledge some mental health concerns but can lack full awareness of their significance or really don’t understand they have an actual illness. They may dismiss or minimize their issues and say “everyone gets stressed out” or “my problems aren’t that bad” or “you’re making more out of this than you need to.”