Many young people in the Netherlands struggle with anxiety, stress or feeling low. But only a small group reaches out for help, and usually not right away. To understand why, researchers from Maastricht University started looking into it , Amsterdam UMC and the @ease foundation conducted a study.
The researchers spoke with young people aged 12 to 25 who visited an @ease walk-in centre. In open conversations, they shared what it’s like to ask for help. From these talks, four main themes emerged:
- Attitudes towards mental health problems and help-seeking
- Access to care
- Experiences in healthcare itself
- Suggestions from young people for improvement
1. Attitude towards mental health problems and help-seeking
Many young people shared that they first tried to deal with things on their own.
Only when it got worse, like feeling down all the time, dealing with anxiety, or falling behind at school, did they start thinking about getting help.
One big reason not to ask for help? Shame. Many young people said they were afraid others would see them as weak or weird. So they kept it to themselves, even from parents, friends or teachers.
Some young people didn’t really know what mental struggles were, or that help even existed. That made it harder to recognise their own problems as something they could actually get support for.
2. Access to care
When young people did decide to seek help, they encountered new obstacles.
- Unfamiliarity: Young people indicated they often didn’t know where to turn. They found the healthcare system complex.
- Lack of information: Clear explanations of what help is available, how to get it and what it costs were often not available.
- Waiting times: Young people said that long waiting lists discouraged them. They didn’t always have access to alternatives while they waited.
- Getting a referral through the GP? That was tough for some. They were afraid their problems wouldn’t be taken seriously, and talking about it in the doctor’s office felt hard too.
These factors meant that the step towards help remained a big one for many young people, even when they were ready for it.
3. The care itself
Young people who ultimately received care expressed both positive and negative experiences.
Positive experiences
- Young people mentioned a personal approach as important
- They appreciated it when professionals listened well and really took the time for them
- Places where you could go without an appointment gave young people the feeling that the threshold was lower.
Less positive experiences
- Young people reported that there was sometimes little customization. The care felt too standard or not sufficiently tailored to their situation.
- Some young people felt there was too much emphasis on diagnoses and less on themselves as individuals
- Contact with care providers was sometimes experienced as businesslike or distant
These experiences showed that the way care is provided makes a big difference for young people.
4. Suggestions from young people
The young people also made their own suggestions for improvement. They mentioned, among other things:
- More openness about mental health problems
- Better information about treatments, waiting times and options while waiting
- Accessible places like @ease where you can go without an appointment
- More personal care that takes into account the young person’s entire situation
According to the young people, these improvements would make the step to seeking help easier.
What this research reveals
- Attitude: young people often wait a long time before seeking help, try it themselves first and experience shame or a lack of knowledge.
- Access: those who do want help face obstacles such as unfamiliarity, lack of information, long waiting times and the GP’s threshold.
- Self-care: Positive experiences focused on personal attention and listening. Negative experiences focused on a lack of personalized care, too much emphasis on diagnoses, and distant contact.
- Suggestions: Young people made concrete proposals for improvements such as openness, information and accessible places.
Curious about all the results?
You can read the full scientific article here, titled “Barriers and facilitators on the pathway to mental health care among 12-25 year olds”.
Do you have questions about our scientific research? Feel free to contact us, we’d be happy to tell you more.