{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T17:02:31Z","timestamp":1790787751409,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,12]],"date-time":"2025-06-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749686400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>The decision to use psychological or psychiatric help is complex and depends on many interrelated factors. This study aimed to characterize self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders among adults in Poland.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>This questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in March 2025 using computer-assisted web interviews (CAWI) among 1,114 adults in Poland. Quota-sampling method was used.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Most of the respondents (54.8%) declared that they would be able to recognize symptoms related to mental disorders on their own, and 50.7% declared that they would be able to recognize symptoms related to mental disorders in others and recognize people who require the help of a psychiatrist or psychologist. Over two-thirds of respondents (67.1%) declared that they know where to seek help if they experience mental disorders on their own and 61.4% declared that they know where to seek help if a child or teenager is experiencing mental disorders. Only 17.2% of respondents declared that enough activities are carried out in Poland to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders. In multivariable logistic regression, female gender, ever visit to a specialist due to mental disorders and a history of mental disorders in the close family were the most important factors associated (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.05) with self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study revealed significant gaps in self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders among adults in Poland. Public health interventions are needed to strengthen mental health literacy among adults in Poland, particularly concerning help-seeking behavior.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1612066","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,12]],"date-time":"2025-06-12T04:10:40Z","timestamp":1749701440000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders among adults in Poland"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Aleksandra","family":"Lewandowska","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mateusz","family":"Jankowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mariusz","family":"Gujski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paulina","family":"Mularczyk-Tomczewska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Agata","family":"Szulc","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrzej","family":"Silczuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","unstructured":"WHO highlights urgent need to transform mental health and mental health care\n          \n          2022"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.1016\/S2215-0366(21)00395-3","article-title":"Global, regional, and national burden of 12 mental disorders in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2019","volume":"9","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"471","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291712001511","article-title":"Global variation in the prevalence and incidence of major depressive disorder: a systematic review of the epidemiological literature","volume":"43","author":"Ferrari","year":"2013","journal-title":"Psychol Med"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1970","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(13)61139-3","article-title":"World health assembly adopts comprehensive mental health action plan 2013-2020","volume":"381","author":"Saxena","year":"2013","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1303","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291713001943","article-title":"Barriers to mental health treatment: results from the WHO world mental health surveys","volume":"44","author":"Andrade","year":"2014","journal-title":"Psychol Med"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"255","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2012.11.014","article-title":"Where would young people seek help for mental disorders and what stops them? 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