Avoiding the Advantageous: Identifying Mental Health Treatment Barriers in High-Risk Professions

Avoiding the Advantageous: Identifying Mental Health Treatment Barriers in High-Risk Professions

There is a large mental health treatment gap around the world that impacts the mental, physical, and economic well-being of all. A major reason for the treatment gap is the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Often this stigma is manifested in explicit and implicit bias. This study examined different barriers to mental health treatment for those in law enforcement and health care. Potential barriers to seeking psychological help include implicit and explicit bias, lack of knowledge about mental illness, personal and professional exposure to mental illness, and a lack of mental health training. The results of this study show that there is an overall negative association with mental ailments. In addition, the training provided to these professions is not effective at lowering bias or increasing mental health help seeking behavior. Increased knowledge about the malleability of mental illness, importance about mental health, and feasibility to receive treatment are all correlated with help seeking behavior. Implications and future research are also discussed.