Awareness of Mental Illness and Help-Seeking Intentions among Teenagers In Kelantan, Malaysia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the attitude towards mental illness, knowledge about mental illness and the role of the community towards mental illness to seek help by teenagers in Kelantan. A simple random sampling method was used with the sample size of 384 teenagers in Kelantan as the respondents in this study. The result showed that there is a positive correlation (r=0.542) between the attitude towards mental illness and the desire to seek help. A significant positive correlation (r=0.556) was found between the knowledge about mental illness and the desire to seek help in regards to mental illness. The role of the community on mental illness affecting teenagers to seek help showed a significant positive correlation (r=0.369). In conclusion, there is a positive relationship between attitude and knowledge towards mental illness and helping teenagers to seek help for mental illness problems. The role of the community can also affect teenagers’ decision to seek help for mental illness.