Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
Early Interv Psychiatry. 2010 Feb;4(1):39-46. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-7893.2009.00156.x.
We examined the eating disorders 'mental health literacy' of young adult women in Singapore.
A self-report questionnaire was completed by 255 women recruited from three university campuses. A vignette of a fictional (female) person exhibiting the characteristic features of bulimia nervosa was presented, followed by a series of questions concerning the treatment and outcome of the problem described. A measure of eating disorder symptoms was included in the questionnaire.
Consulting a primary care practitioner, counsellor or psychologist; seeking the advice of a (female) family member or friend; getting advice about diet and nutrition; and taking vitamins and minerals were the interventions most often considered helpful. Participants were less positive about the benefits of psychiatristsand were ambivalent about the use of psychotropic medication. Participants' mothers were most often considered helpful as they are an initial source of help. Among participants with a high level of eating disorder symptoms, recognition of an eating problem was poor. A minority of participants believed that treatment would result in full recovery.
Aspects of the eating disorders mental health literacy of young Singaporean women may be conducive to low or inappropriate treatment seeking. Health promotion programmes need to target not only at-risk individuals, but also their family members and social circle.
我们考察了新加坡年轻成年女性的饮食障碍“心理健康素养”。
从三所大学校园招募了 255 名女性，让她们完成一份自我报告问卷。问卷中呈现了一个虚构（女性）人物的案例，该人物表现出神经性贪食症的特征，随后提出了一系列有关所描述问题的治疗和结果的问题。问卷中还包括了衡量饮食障碍症状的一项措施。
向初级保健医生、顾问或心理学家咨询；向（女性）家庭成员或朋友寻求建议；获得有关饮食和营养的建议；以及服用维生素和矿物质，是被认为最有帮助的干预措施。参与者对精神科医生的益处不太肯定，对使用精神药物也持矛盾态度。母亲通常被认为是最有帮助的，因为她们是最初的求助来源。在饮食障碍症状水平较高的参与者中，对饮食问题的认识较差。少数参与者认为治疗会导致完全康复。
新加坡年轻女性的饮食障碍“心理健康素养”的某些方面可能不利于寻求低水平或不适当的治疗。健康促进计划不仅需要针对高危人群，还需要针对他们的家庭成员和社交圈。
