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.
Like this:
Also on David Susman PhD
Helpful Mental Health Resources for …
Healing from Postpartum Bipolar …
My 24 Years in a Psychiatric Hospital …
Focusing on Minority Mental Health Issues
How to Prevent Mental Health Relapses
We Cannot Grieve Alone
10 Ways to Help Your Therapist Help You …
10 Things To Consider When Selecting …

Content: 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.” 4) Feelings of inadequacy
Many people believe they are inadequate or a failure if they have to admit something is “wrong” with their mental health. Further, they believe they “should be able to handle things” on their own without assistance and that they must be weak or inferior to have to ask for help. 5) Distrust
It’s difficult to consider revealing personal details to a doctor or counselor. Many express concern about “telling a stranger” about their problems. Additionally, they worry that their personal information won’t be kept confidential.