Mental Health Literacy among Adolescents in Japan

2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20730398
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Social welfare and social work studies
• Research Institution: National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
• Principal Investigator: TACHIMORI Hisateru National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 精神保健研究所・精神保健計画研究部, 室長 (60342929)
• Project Period (FY): 2008 – 2010
• Keywords: 精神障害 / リテラシー / 学校精神保健

Research Abstract

I conducted a survey among junior and senior high school students using a self-reporting questionnaire to explore the level of knowledge and interest about mental disorders. The number of valid responses was 1,127. Against a fictional case of a student who has been showing symptoms of major depressive disorder for the first time and has not consulted a doctor yet but needs a medical intervention, while 80% of the students responded that he is mentally ill, 10% answered that he has no problem or he is only in a stressful situation and not ill. To a question asking if each student has ever experienced a similar case, one-forth of the students answered yes. These results strongly suggest that these adolescents are in need of a mental health education.