Young adults harbour many misconceptions about mental health treatment, according to a new study by researchers at Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute.
The study included 20 patients from the First Episode Mood and Anxiety Program (FEMAP) at London Health Sciences Centre, which combines medication management and talk therapy to help older teens and young adults with mood and anxiety symptoms.
Researchers found a vast majority of patients felt apprehension before entering treatment. The study also identified three major misconceptions of patients entering the program -- the patients expected a cold and unwelcoming care environment, they expected an authoritarian approach to care where they would play a passive role, and patients expected quick treatment with an immediate recovery.
The reality of care in the program differed from each of these misconceptions.
“Ultimately, youth found that treatment at FEMAP was much more complex than they anticipated. However, they experienced a positive change in mindset with a strengthening of personal agency,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, the study’s first author, a clinician-researcher at Lawson, assistant professor at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and psychiatrist at FEMAP. “Their treatment fears were relieved and they valued their active role in their own care.”
Dr. Elizabeth Osuch, a clinician-scientist at Lawson, associate professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and medical director at FEMAP, said young adults are often reluctant to seek mental health care.
"Expectations can influence whether youth seek help to begin with. These results could help inform educational outreach about psychiatric care, helping to better align expectations with reality," she said. "Belief in a positive outcome often leads to better outcomes."
The results of the study were recently published in Early Intervention in Psychiatry.