Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Oct 1;26(5):447-466.
doi: 10.1007/s10560-009-0174-0.

Attitudes Toward Mental Health Services and Illness Perceptions Among Adolescents with Mood Disorders

Michelle R Munson  1 , Jerry E Floersch, Lisa Townsend
Affiliations

Attitudes Toward Mental Health Services and Illness Perceptions Among Adolescents with Mood Disorders

Michelle R Munson et al. Child Adolesc Social Work J. .

Abstract

The present study describes how adolescents perceive their mood disorders (MD; e.g., acute vs. chronic) and their attitudes toward mental health services. The study also explores the relationships between demographics, clinical characteristics, perceptions of illness and attitudes. Finally, we examine the psychometric properties of the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (Moss-Morris et al. in Psychology & Health 17(1):1-16, 2002). Seventy adolescents were recruited from the greater Cleveland area. Structured interviews were conducted utilizing standardized instruments. Results show that adolescents with MD have fairly positive attitudes, with Caucasian youth reporting more positive attitudes than their nonwhite ounterparts. Illness perceptions were related to psychological openness and indifference to stigma. Implications are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. The American Psychologist. 5. Vol. 58. American Psychological Association; 2003. Guidelines on multicultural education, training, research, practice, and organizational change for psychologist; pp. 377–402. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Axelson D, Birmaher B, Strober M, Gill MK, Valeri S, Chiapetta L, et al. Phenomenology of children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2006;63(10):1139–1148. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.63.10.1139. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ayalon L, Alvidrez J. The experience of black consumers in the mental health system-identifying barriers and facilitators of mental health treatment using the consumers' perspective. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 2007;28:1323–1340. doi: 10.1080/01612840701651454. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Blank MB, Mahmood M, Fox JC, Guterbock T. Alternative mental health services: The role of the Black church in the south. American Journal of Public Health. 2002;92(10):1668–1672. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.92.10.1668. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brown C, Battista DR, Sereika SM, Bruehlman RD, Dunbar-Jacob J, Thase ME. Primary care patients' personal illness models for depression: Relationship to coping behavior and functional disability. General Hospital Psychiatry. 2007;29(6):492–500. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2007.07.007. - DOI - PMC - PubMed