The DOI matches its Crossref record; 27 of the 27 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Stigma about Depression and its Impact on Help-Seeking Intentions
Abstract
Objective: Research has shown that people are reluctant to seek professional help for depression, especially from mental health professionals. This may be because of the impact of stigma which can involve people's own responses to depression and help-seeking (self stigma) as well as their perceptions of others' negative responses (perceived stigma). The aim of this article was to examine community help-seeking intentions and stigmatizing beliefs associated with depression. Method: A total of 1312 adults randomly sampled from the Australian community completed a questionnaire providing a depression vignette and measures of selfand perceived-stigmatizing responses, source-specific help-seeking intentions, current depressive symptoms and depression experience, and demographics. Results: Many people reported they would feel embarrassed about seeking help from professionals, and believed that other people would have a negative reaction to them if they sought such help. Some expected professionals to respond negatively to them. Responses varied according to the sources of professional help. Self-embarrassment and expectations that others would respond negatively predicted the likelihood of help-seeking from professional sources. Conclusion: Self- and perceived-stigmatizing responses to help-seeking for depression are prevalent in the community and are associated with reluctance to seek professional help. Interventions should focus on minimizing expectations of negative responses from others and negative self-responses to help-seeking, and should target younger people.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Stigmatising attitudes about mental health problems may also impact on treatment seeking and adherence and increase social exclusion [54, 55].”
From Systematic review and meta-analysis of Mental Health First Aid training: Effects on knowledge, stigma, and helping behaviour (2018) · cites this paper as [54]
In the citing paper
“In addition, existing face-to-face services pose significant barriers for young people [10-16] largely due to access, availability, and high costs of these services [17], as well as the reluctance of young people to seek professional help due to stigma and embarrassment [18-20].”
From Do online mental health services improve help-seeking for young people? A systematic review (2014) · cites this paper as [18]
In the citing paper
“The experience of stigma was identified as a defining element of the bereavement process, echoing previous reports of suicide bereavement in the literature.3,12,13”
From Experiences of suicide bereavement: A qualitative study exploring the role of the GP (2016) · cites this paper as [12]
In the citing paper
“The grief of survivors of suicide is also amplified by stigma, which has a profound impact on social interactions and help-seeking behaviour.3,12,13”
From Experiences of suicide bereavement: A qualitative study exploring the role of the GP (2016) · cites this paper as [12]
Citations
Cites
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
(2018) · Journal of Clinical Psychiatry · doi:10.5505/kpd · Cited by 13,703
The Paradox of Self-Stigma and Mental Illness
Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2002) · Clinical Psychology Science and Practice · doi:10.1093/clipsy.9.1.35 · Cited by 2,058
The paradox of self-stigma and mental illness
Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2002) · Clinical Psychology Science and Practice · doi:10.1093/clipsy/9.1.35 · Cited by 1,896
“The Medical Journal of Australia”
(1923) · The Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1923.tb64467.x · Cited by 1,549
Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., Kroenke, K., Hornyak, R., & McMurray, J. (2000) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1067/mob.2000.106580 · Cited by 847 · cited 2×
“Disorders Patient Health Questionnaire) [15], which asks about the experienced frequency of symptoms matching the DSM-IV criteria”
BackgroundSocial-psychological factors affecting help-seeking for emotional problems
Rickwood, D. J., & Braithwaite, V. A. (1994) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/0277-9536(94)90099-x · Cited by 583
The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association
Arrowsmith, L. (2015) · Journal of Osteopathic Medicine · doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.001 · Cited by 474
Awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of depression
the Council on Scientific Affairs, A. M. A., Goldman, L. S., Nielsen, N. H., & Champion, H. C. (1999) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1046/j.1525-1497.1999.03478.x · Cited by 466
Treatment-seeking for depression by black and white Americans
Sussman, L. K., Robins, L. N., & Earls, F. J. (1987) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/0277-9536(87)90046-3 · Cited by 427
The mental health of Australians: (676572010-001)
Andrews, G., Hall, W., Teesson, M., & Henderson, S. (2000) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e676572010-001 · Cited by 423
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- 16. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edn. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, DC 1994; 162: 93–99.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 801–845 of 845
Depression And Society: Stigmas And Stereotypes
Almotairy, M. S. D., Alotaibi, S. A., Yahiya, F. S. O., & Alsuraysri, T. M. M. (2022) · doi:10.53555/sfs.v9i4.2609
Perception of Mental Illness in a Peri - Urban Community in Kenya
Akinyi, L. J. (2024) · International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) · doi:10.21275/sr24131155428
Pain in Seriously Mental Ill Populations
Owen‐Smith, A. A., & Scherrer, J. F. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med/9780197649176.003.0022
Thematic and sentiment analysis of replies to depression help seeking related posts on Sina Weibo
Chen, Z. (2024) · Applied and Computational Engineering · doi:10.54254/2755-2721/88/20241649
(2012) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890427767.fm01
Chapter 5. Economic Consequences of Revising the Diagnostic Nomenclature for Mental Disorders
Goldman, H. H., Horvitz-Lennon, M. V., Hu, T. W., Alegria, M. M., Chisholm, D., Heinze, G., Njenga, F. G., Regier, D. A., & Sayce, L. (2012) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890427767.lg05
Saxena, S., Sharan, P., Botbol, M., Hasin, D. S., Herrman, H., Hosman, C. M. H., Jané‐Llopis, E., Reiss, D., & Sturgeon, S. (2012) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890427767.lg02
Gask, L. L., Dowrick, C. F., Fortes, S., Katerndahl, D. A., Gureje, O., Klinkman, M. S., Arroll, B., Saeed, K., & deGruy, F. V. (2012) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890427767.lg03
(2012) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890427767.index
Chapter 7. Statistics and Information Systems
Gulbinat, W. H., Amaddeo, F., Medina-Mora, M. E., Mubbashar, M. H., Ndetei, D. M., & Plovnick, R. M. (2012) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890427767.lg07
Üstün, B., Barbato, A., Hwang, T., Jakob, R., Janca, A., Kastrup, M. C., Kennedy, C., Kostanjek, N., Mavreas, V., Narrow, W. E., et al. (2012) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890427767.lg09
Chapter 4. Use of Diagnosis in Forensic Psychiatry
Arboleda‐Flórez, J., Appelbaum, P. S., Bonnie, R. J., Konrad, N., Polubinskaya, S. V., Richardson, G., Téllez, C., & Xiehe, L. (2012) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890427767.lg04
Munira, L., Liamputtong, P., & Viwattanakulvanid, P. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-92-1290-3_90
Storman, D., Jemioło, P., Świerz, M. J., Sawiec, Z., Antonowicz, E., Bała, M. M., & Prokop‐Dorner, A. (2025) · Mental Health and Social Inclusion · doi:10.1108/mhsi-01-2025-0026
Ying, F., Murphy, G. C. M., & Dozois, D. J. A. (2025) · doi:10.1002/9781394179909.ch5
Turan, N., & Şendağ, M. A. (2025) · Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences · doi:10.1111/scs.70045
Munira, L., Liamputtong, P., & Viwattanakulvanid, P. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-0821-5_90-2
Wu, D., Chen, S., Liu, S., Zhang, J., Zhao, G., He, J. N., & Jiang, L. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-17281-x
Xiao, J. W., Wang, J., Xu, T., Zhang, J., Mu, X., Kan, J., Ye, F., Gao, X., Tian, N., Lin, S., et al. (2025) · Cardiology Discovery · doi:10.1097/cd9.0000000000000174
Study Protocol: Intrafamily Communication on Mental Disorders (IFACOM)
Tietze, F.-A., Bermpohl, F., Jung, A., Petereit-Zipfel, H., Dreyer, F., Hüetlin, L., & Gutwinski, S. (2025) · F1000Research · doi:10.12688/f1000research.166061.1
Mental Health Awareness Among Parents in an Urban High School
Taylor, N. M. (2013) · SUNY Digital Repository Support (State University of New York System)
Edelman, L. (2010) · Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University)
Bond, K. S., Cottrill, F. A., Mackinnon, A., Morgan, A. J., Kelly, C. M., Armstrong, G., Kitchener, B. A., Reavley, N. J., & Jorm, A. F. (2021) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.14457011
Self-citationScholze, K., Reich, H., Passow, P., Sander, C., Czaplicki, A., & Hegerl, U. (2023) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.23434948
Waldmann, T., Stiawa, M., Dinc, Ü., Saglam, G., Busmann, M., Daubmann, A., Adema, B., Wegscheider, K., Wiegand‐Grefe, S., & Kilian, R. (2021) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.14069272
Henrique, M. G., Couto, M. C. P. D. P., Araya, R., Mendes, A. V., Nakamura, C. A., Hollingworth, W., van de Ven, P. W. J., Peters, T. J., & Scazufca, M. (2021) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.17194194
Kothari, A., Bruxner, G., Callaway, L. K., & Dulhunty, J. M. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.19863014
Lin, C.-C., Chien, Y.-L., & Chen, J.-Y. (2025) · Taiwanese Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.4103/tpsy.tpsy_40_25
Özdemir, N., & Ayten, A. (2026) · Gumushane Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi (GIFAD) · doi:10.53683/gifad.1773462
Archer, C., Kessler, D. S., Ting, L., Wiles, N., & Turner, K. M. (2026) · BMC Family Practice · doi:10.1186/s12875-026-03206-8
Bard-Henke, M., Fang, Y., Scholl, E., & Yzer, M. C. (2026) · Psychology Health & Medicine · doi:10.1080/13548506.2026.2633396
MacDermid, J. C., Fletcher, A., Killip, S. C., Brazil, A., Ricciardelli, R., & Bromhead, R. C. (2026) · Occupation and Health · doi:10.3390/occuphealth1010010
Link, E., & Freytag, A. (2026) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2026.2666889
Depression and accuracy of judgment: A meta-analysis
Yeung, J. C., Lam, H., & Chan, D. K.-S. (2026) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2026.102752
Support for Older People With Vision Impairment: A Rapid Realist Review
Vaidya, A., Davies, M. W., Wallace, C. A., Anderson, P., Jones, M., Molik, B., North, R. V., Ryan, B., Verity, F., & Acton, J. H. (2026) · Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics · doi:10.1007/s44402-026-00125-0
Yeung, W.-F., Yu, B. Y., Ho, F. Y., Wong, C. K. H., Chung, K. F., Ruan, J., Chen, S., Cheung, D. S. T., Zhang, Z.-J., Zick, S. M., et al. (2026) · EClinicalMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.104023
Forday, W. L. (2026) · medRxiv · doi:10.64898/2026.07.14.26358030
Self-stigma among individuals with substance use disorders: an exploratory study
Patil, V., Shakya, P., Balhara, Y. P. S., & Patra, B. N. (2026) · Journal of Substance Use · doi:10.1080/14659891.2026.2715424
The long shadow of typhoons: Prenatal exposure and adult mental health
Huang, Y.-T., Liu, E. M., Liu, J., & Tseng, T.-Y. H. (2026) · Journal of Development Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jdeveco.2026.103904
Sun, E. Y., & Grabe, M. E. (2026) · Communication Research Reports · doi:10.1080/08824096.2026.2733877
Luo, D., Gu, X., Wang, H., & Zhang, L. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1897669
A cluster randomised controlled trial of mental health first aid (MHFA) in UK workplaces
Atanda, O., Reavey, P., Durcan, G., Carter, T., O’Shea, N., Brown, S., Wood, K. V., Vangeli, E., White, S., & Callaghan, P. (2026) · Journal of Public Mental Health · doi:10.1108/jpmh-03-2026-0051
Understanding poor help-seeking rates for major depressive disorder
Farmer, C. (2013) · Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) · doi:10.1186/1471-244x-12-164
Online Support Groups for Depression and Anxiety: Outcome and Process
Dean, J. (2014) · UCL Discovery (University College London)
Metadata
- Authors
- Barney, L. J., Griffiths, K. M., Jorm, A. F., & Christensen, H.
- Affiliations
- Australian National University (AU)
- Venue
- Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2006-01
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 51-54
- ISSN
- 0004-8674 (ISSN-L)
- 1440-1614
- OpenAlex
- W2130005154
- Cited by
- 844
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 67 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 59 · 2017: 45 · 2016: 58 · 2015: 51 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 62 · 2012: 45
- FWCI
- 20.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ANU Open Research (Australian National University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
- Keywords
- depression, stigma, help-seeking intentions, self-stigma, perceived stigma, mental health professionals, help-seeking reluctance, community-dwelling adults, depressive symptoms
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Australia, Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health Services, Middle Aged, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sampling Studies, Stereotyping, Intention
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
