Developing core-concepts and materials for mental health care literacy to facilitating adaptive illness behaviors

Abstract

It is necessary to develop the effective psycho-educational concepts and materials to enhance the uptake behavior of appropriate specialized institutions of mental health care, such as psychiatric clinics or centers providing psychotherapy. In this research, we developed the core concepts and materials, which can be used for the Web sites, or pamphlets intended to enhance appropriate uptake behavior, by conducting internet-based research and a formative interview based on a social marketing approach. As a result of an analysis of 819 first-time users of mental health care services that met eligibility criteria, descriptive characteristics of the uptake behavior for mental health care were revealed and the differences in mental health care literacy between people with a shorter distribution of the untreated period (DUI) and a longer DUI were clarified. By formative research based on the social marketing frame-work, we developed core concepts and materials consisting of the characteristics of the people with a shorter DUI (WHO), the messages about preventing a longer DUI (WHAT), and effective methods for presentation and communication (HOW).