Abstract
Objective
People with depression experience barriers to seeking professional help. Different diagnostic terminology can influence people's treatment/management preferences. The aim of this study was to investigate how alternative depression diagnostic labels and recommendations impact help-seeking intentions and psychosocial outcomes.
Methods
Participants (18–70 years) were recruited using an online panel (Australia) to complete a randomized controlled trial. They read a hypothetical scenario where they discussed experiencing depressive symptoms with their GP and were randomized to receive one of four diagnoses (“depression,” “burnout,” “functional impairment syndrome” [fictitious label], no label [control]), and one of two follow-up recommendations (“clinical psychologist,” “mind coach”). Primary outcome: help-seeking intention (5-point scale, higher = greater intention); secondary outcomes: intention to speak to boss, self-stigma, worry, perceived severity, illness perceptions, and personal stigma.
Results
A total of 676 participants completed the survey. There was no main effect of diagnostic label on help-seeking intention or stigma outcomes. Intention to speak to a boss was higher with the depression compared to burnout label (MD = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.14–0.66) and perceived severity was higher with the depression label compared to control (MD = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.22–0.74) and all other labels. Those who received the “clinical psychologist” recommendation reported higher help-seeking intention (MD = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.25–0.60) and treatment control (MD = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.29–1.10) compared to the “mind coach” recommendation.
Conclusion
Findings highlight the success of efforts to promote help-seeking from clinical psychologists for depression. If burnout is considered a separate diagnostic entity to depression, greater awareness around what such a diagnosis means may be needed. Future research should examine how different terminologies surrounding other mental health conditions impact help-seeking and stigma.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 68-85 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical Psychology |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 8 Jul 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright the Author(s) 2022. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.Keywords
- depression
- burnout
- disease-labeling
- stigma
- help-seeking
- communication