Mental Health Survey results
Last spring we asked our readers about their attitudes toward seeking help for mental health problems and how to make getting help more acceptable. Here are the answers from the 630 students who responded (thanks for helping us out!).
Last spring we asked our readers about their attitudes toward seeking help for mental health problems and how to make getting help more acceptable. Here are the answers from the 630 students who responded (thanks for helping us out!). We randomly chose four respondents to win $100: Congrats to Isuara Ramirez from Lennox Academy, Tanya Vazquez from Downtown Magnets HS, Melissa Ramirez from Huntington Park College Ready Academy HS and Rosalia Greenberg from Malibu HS. Note: Some percentages do not add up to 100 because respondents skipped a question or checked all the answers that applied.
RESPONDENTS WERE:
36% Male 64% Female
Ethnicity:
22% White 12% Black
55% Latino 10% Asian
9% Other
Living arrangements?
84% Living with parent(s)/adoptive parents
7% Living with relatives
5% Living with foster parents/in a group home
0.3% Detention center
6% Other
Which of the following situations might cause you to seek help?
59% If I experienced physical or sexual assault
55% If I felt suicidal
54% If I had a serious drug or alcohol problem
50% If I was failing school
47% If I suffered a terrible loss, such as the death of a loved one
46% If I felt depressed
45% If I felt like I might seriously hurt someone else
27% If I felt really anxious all the time
13% No matter what, I probably would not seek help
(Respondents checked all that applied)
If you’ve had a problem in the past that you kept to yourself and did not seek help, what were the major reasons for that?
63% Felt I could handle it myself
48% Was afraid of what my parents or other
family members would think or do
27% Was afraid of what my friends would think or do
21% I did reach out for help
13% Thought I would be a failure if I needed to see a therapist or psychiatrist
11% Did not know where to go for therapy
(Respondents checked all that applied)
If you looked for help, where did you look?
68% My friends
62% My family
34% Other adults in my life (teachers, counselors, religious leaders, social workers, probation officers)
16% Therapist/Psychiatrist
10% Doctor
7% Other
6% Chat rooms or websites
3% Hotline
(Respondents checked all that applied)
How did your friends, family and others treat you when they found out you were having problems?
74% They said they’d be there for me
25% They encouraged me to get help
17% They told me to get over it
13% They didn’t take my problem seriously
8% They told me I was just trying to get attention
9% Other
4% They stopped hanging out with me
Place a check mark next to any of the following statements that YOU agree with:
46% Talking to a friend is better than talking to a therapist
43% Talking to a parent or family member is
better than talking to a therapist
27% Taking medication is just an excuse to keep from dealing with your problems
24% None of the above
18% You should talk about problems only within the family
18% Therapy can’t really help you with your problems
14% It’s OK for other people to have therapists, but not me
(Respondents checked all that applied)
Place a check mark next to any statements that you feel reflect your PARENTS’ OR GUARDIANS’ beliefs:
46% Talking to a parent or family member is better than talking to a therapist
41% You should talk about problems only within the family
26% None of the above
21% Taking medication is just an excuse to keep from dealing with your problems
19% Talking to a friend is better than talking to a therapist
19% Therapy can’t really help you with your
problems
11% It’s OK for other people to have therapists, but not anyone in my family
(Respondents checked all that applied)
Place a check mark next to any of the following statements that YOU agree with:
77% Mental illness can be caused by circumstances outside the family, such as stress, problems at school, friendships or relationships
63% Mental illness can be caused by bad
relationships with your parents
63% Mental illness can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain
52% Mental illness can be something you inherit
51% Mental illness can be treated with
medication and therapy
(Respondents checked all that applied)
Place a check mark next to any statements that you feel reflect your PARENTS’ OR GUARDIANS’ beliefs:
66% Mental illness can be caused by life circumstances outside the family, such as stress, problems at school, friendships or relationships
57% Mental illness can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain
54% Mental illness can be caused by bad relationships in the family
51% Mental illness can be something you inherit
51% Most mental health problems can be treated with medication and therapy
(Respondents checked all that applied)
Where do you think you would find the MOST support if you had a problem?
37% Family
27% Other
21% Friends
7% Other adults (doctors, social workers,
probation staff, group home staff, etc.)
5% Place of worship
4% School
Where do you think you would find the LEAST support if you had a problem?
42% School
28% Other adults (doctors, social workers, probation staff, group home staff, etc.)
17% Family
17% Place of worship
13% Friends
9% Other
What views about mental health do you get from the media (TV, radio, printed articles, websites)?
70% If you have a problem, you should talk to a friend or family member
60% It’s normal to feel down or depressed
sometimes
43% If you have a problem, you should get therapy
27% There’s something wrong with you if you have a mental health problem
26% Only crazy people go to therapy
20% Therapists don’t understand what teens are going through
2% Other
(Respondents checked all that applied)
If you had a problem, which of the following would you find most helpful at your school? Please put these in order of priority from 1 to 5 (with 1 being most helpful and 5 being least helpful).
A close friend I could trust was selected as most helpful, with 56%.
Other choices were:
–A peer-support program where I could talk to other teens
–A psychologist so I could talk to a professional about my problems
–A teacher who had time to listen
–A listing of resources where I could turn for help, such as hotlines and clinics that provide low-cost therapy
–None of the above
What would be the best way to encourage teens to get help when they have a mental health problem? Please put these in order of priority from 1 to 5 (with 1 being most helpful and 5 being least helpful).
Hearing from other teens about how they got help was selected as most helpful, with 56%.
Other choices were:
–Advertisements to inform teens about the signs of mental illness, where to seek help and how to help others get help when they need it
–Hearing from adults about how they got help
–Helping teens recognize images in the media that express negative views about people with mental illness
–Other