Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Am Psychol. 2012 Apr;67(3):231-43. doi: 10.1037/a0025957. Epub 2011 Oct 31.
For major physical diseases, it is widely accepted that members of the public will benefit by knowing what actions they can take for prevention, early intervention, and treatment. However, this type of public knowledge about mental disorders (mental health literacy) has received much less attention. There is evidence from surveys in several countries for deficiencies in (a) the public's knowledge of how to prevent mental disorders, (b) recognition of when a disorder is developing, (c) knowledge of help-seeking options and treatments available, (d) knowledge of effective self-help strategies for milder problems, and (e) first aid skills to support others affected by mental health problems. Nevertheless, there is evidence that a range of interventions can improve mental health literacy, including whole-of-community campaigns, interventions in educational settings, Mental Health First Aid training, and information websites. There is also evidence for historical improvements in mental health literacy in some countries. Increasing the community's mental health literacy needs to be a focus for national policy and population monitoring so that the whole community is empowered to take action for better mental health.
对于主要的身体疾病，人们普遍认为，公众了解他们可以采取哪些行动来进行预防、早期干预和治疗，这将对他们有益。然而，公众对精神障碍（心理健康素养）的这种了解却很少受到关注。有来自多个国家的调查证据表明，（a）公众对如何预防精神障碍的知识不足，（b）对障碍发展的认识不足，（c）对可获得的求助选项和治疗方法的了解不足，（d）对轻度问题的有效自助策略的了解不足，以及（e）支持他人应对心理健康问题的急救技能不足。尽管如此，有证据表明，一系列干预措施可以提高心理健康素养，包括全社区运动、教育环境中的干预、心理健康急救培训和信息网站。也有证据表明，一些国家的心理健康素养在历史上有所提高。提高社区的心理健康素养需要成为国家政策和人口监测的重点，以使整个社区都有能力采取行动促进更好的心理健康。
