Mental disorders are serious global public health problems, affecting the functioning of millions of people worldwide (1). The presence of mental disorders significantly reduces the quality of life of patients – both physical, social, and emotional (1, 2). About 7.3% of the global burden of disease is attributed to mental and behavioral disorders (2). Most of this burden is related to unipolar depressive disorders, as well as anxiety, psychotic, and substance use disorders (2). Currently, about 450 million people suffer from such disorders and it is predicted that one in four people worldwide will be affected by a mental disorder at some point in their life (2). People with mental disorders experience disproportionately higher rates of disability and mortality (3). People with major depressive disorder and schizophrenia had a 40 to 60% higher risk of premature death than the general population (4). Studies show that most people struggling with mental disorders encounter numerous barriers in accessing healthcare (5, 6). The process of seeking help is often associated with fear of rejection, self-stigma, and negative perception by society (7, 8). As a result, many people with mental disorders do not receive support on time, which leads to delayed diagnosis and treatment, deterioration of health, as well as an increased risk of social exclusion, and additional costs – both personal and systemic (9). In recent years, a growing number of publications on mental disorders has been observed in the public domain. However, many people struggling with emotional difficulties, anxiety, depression, or other mental disorders still decide not to contact a specialist (8). Often, months or even years pass before a person experiencing mental suffering reaches out for professional support (9). Individual barriers in recognizing the need for treatment and in reaching out for specialist support are strongly related to the level of knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes toward mental health and available forms of help. Mental health symptoms, such as irritability, sleep problems, sadness, or fatigue, can be misinterpreted as physical problems, making it difficult to properly recognize the problem. As a result, patients may not adopt adequate coping strategies or delay the decision to seek help (10). People who have more knowledge about their illness and are convinced of the benefits of treatment are more willing to seek support (9, 11). Researchers indicate that intersectional characteristics, such as place of residence, gender, or socioeconomic status, can significantly influence help-seeking behavior. For example, women from rural areas may encounter limitations in accessing services, while men, especially in cultures promoting self-sufficiency, may avoid seeking help for fear of losing their position or autonomy (12, 13). Additionally, factors such as poverty, lack of time, overload with duties, or communication limitations can significantly hinder access to treatment (13–16). Despite these barriers, a literature review indicates that patients’ health aspirations—the desire to improve their quality of life and well-being—often exceed the difficulties in accessing medical care (9, 10, 17).

People with mental disorders may be exposed to stigmatization, that can lead to a sense of isolation, fear of being judged, and even experiences of discrimination (7, 18). Such social attitudes significantly reduce patients’ motivation to seek professional help (19). At the family and local community level, the involvement of loved ones in the treatment process plays an important role. Available research results indicate that active support from the family and educational activities aimed at local communities can facilitate open conversations about mental health and increase patients’ willingness to use available forms of help. Patients and their families were less motivated to seek help when the healthcare system perceived them as complicated and difficult to access, and its mode of operation was not consistent with their beliefs and level of understanding (20). The decision to use psychological or psychiatric help is complex and depends on many interrelated factors. Awareness of one’s problems, lack of stigma, availability of services, social support, as well as individual psychological characteristics and cultural beliefs—all these elements can affect willingness to seek help (20). Understanding these mechanisms is crucial not only for mental health practitioners but also for health policymakers, teachers, parents, and all those who have a real impact on shaping a supportive and open social environment. Actions aimed at strengthening mental health literacy at the European level may contribute to the rising public awareness of mental disorders (21, 22).

It is estimated that in 2020, 91% of countries in the WHO European region had mental healthcare plans and policies (MHPPs) (23). Eastern Europe is indicated as a high-priority European region where post-graduate training, regional collaboration, and capacity building on mental disorders should be implemented (24). Literature on “mental health literacy” is growing rapidly but mainly in high-income countries (25). Adolescents and young adults are often listed as priority populations for mental health literacy programs and campaigns (26, 27).

Structural barriers such as service availability and waiting lists may also influence public attitudes toward help-seeking behaviors (28–30). The low number of psychiatrists is listed as a major barrier to mental health services and relatively long wait times in Poland (29, 30). To address gaps in access to mental health services, the National Mental Health Protection Programme provides access to new forms of mental health services, including Mental Health Centres, that guarantee access to mental services on time (29). Data on self-reported help-seeking behavior may provide practical implications for the ongoing reform and improvement of the psychiatric care system in Poland.

This study aimed to characterize self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders among adults in Poland.

This is the first nationwide study on self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders among adults in Poland. Findings from this study showed that almost half of adults in Poland are not able to recognize symptoms related to mental disorders, both in themselves and in others. Moreover, approximately one-third of adults in Poland did not know where to seek help by professional mental health care, both for adults or children and teenagers. This study also showed that 44.6% of adults in Poland declared an insufficient number of actions on mental health promotion and prevention of mental disorders. Female gender, ever visit to a specialist due to mental disorders and a history of mental disorders in the close family were the most important factors associated (p < 0.05) with self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders.

Seeking mental health services is often a complex and emotionally difficult process, and people with mental disorders may encounter numerous barriers in accessing healthcare (5–8). Providing easy access to mental health services and public education on the mental health care system are key actions to reduce the gap in the number of people with mental disorders who seek help. Lui et al. showed that self-reliance, stigma, and poor mental health literacy are key barriers to help-seeking for common mental disorders among university students (36). Good mental health literacy and social encouragement are significant facilitators to help-seeking for common mental disorders (36). Similar barriers and facilitators were reported in the study by Noorwali et al. (37). Public stigma and lack of awareness, unprofessional mental health practitioners, and lack of accessibility to services and information were listed as major barriers, wherein, e.g., societal and family awareness, promoting the accessibility of services, enhancing sources of external support were listed as facilitators to help-seeking for mental disorders (37). In the study by Elshaikh et al. carried out among older adults, stigma, negative beliefs about mental health professional services, and cost were the most reported barriers to professional mental health help-seeking (38). Prior positive experiences with mental health services and high socioeconomic status were the most important facilitators of help-seeking (38). Tunks et al. (39) reported that stigma and patients’ perceptions and understandings of common mental disorders impacted their help-seeking decision-making and engagement with service through primary care (39).

Females declared better ability to recognize symptoms related to mental disorders in themselves or others (especially relatives). Moreover, females more often This observation may result from the fact that females often present higher health literacy skills (40, 41), as well as from the sociocultural role of females in families and society. Respondents who lived in cities from 20,000 to 99,999 residents were more likely to declare their ability to recognize symptoms related to mental disorders in themselves. This observation may result from the fact that in small local urban communities, educational activities on mental health may have higher effectiveness. Respondents with higher education were more likely to declare their ability to recognize symptoms related to mental problems in others and recognize people who require professional help. This observation may result from the self-assessment and self-perception of people with higher education when compared to other people, especially those without higher education. As expected, those who had children were more likely to declare knowledge and seek help if a child or teenager was experiencing mental disorders. This observation may result from the fact that parents are gatekeepers to mental health services for children and those who have children are more up-to-date with current mental health services available for children in Poland (42).

In this study, there was no significant impact of socioeconomic status on self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders. This observation suggests that sociodemographic variables have a limited impact on help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders, as mental disorders can affect people from different socioeconomic groups. Moreover, there were no age differences in self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders, which may result from the fact that mental disorders pose a populational problem, and various age groups are exposed to risk factors for different mental disorders.

This is the first study on self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders among adults in Poland, so direct comparisons with national studies are impossible. However, findings from this study showed that ever visit to a specialist due to mental disorders and a history of mental disorders in the close family was significantly associated with self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders. Findings from this study are comparable to those reported by Noorwali et al., (37) and Elshaikh et al. (38), who also reported that prior positive experience with mental health services (38) and family awareness of mental disorders (37) are facilitators to help-seeking for mental disorders. Contrary to previously published data (37–39), in this study female gender was associated with self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders. However, this observation is in line with nationwide studies in Poland on public awareness of different health conditions, as numerous of those studies pointed out gender differences in health-related behaviors, with females as a group more likely to present higher health literacy levels (43–45).

In this study, one-third of participants did not know where to seek help in the event of mental health problems, both their own and those of minors. This lack of knowledge could be linked to poor mental health literacy or insufficient informational campaigns, which should be highlighted as a priority for public health interventions and further analyses.

In this study, respondents were also asked about their opinions on mental health promotion and prevention activities that were carried out in Poland. Mental health promotion and prevention programs may reduce the risk of stigma and encourage people to seek professional help during mental health crises (46, 47). In this study, 44.6% of respondents declared that there are insufficient health promotion and prevention actions in Poland. Moreover, the insufficient number of educational campaigns on mental health may affect trust in the health system and willingness to seek help behaviors. Media mental health awareness campaigns may play a significant role in strengthening mental health literacy levels (48, 49). Also, social media can be used as an effective communication channel for mental health campaigns (50). This observation underlines the need to increase the number of public health interventions for mental health promotion and prevention.

The following practical implications are resulting from this study. First, this study showed significant gaps in self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders among adults in Poland. Public health interventions are needed to strengthen mental health literacy among adults in Poland. Second, over one-third of adults in Poland are not aware of where to seek help when experiencing mental disorders, so media campaigns on the organization of mental health care in Poland are needed. The development of media campaigns, targeted to particular sociodemographic groups, may contribute to the improvement of mental health literacy levels. Third, general practitioners as those healthcare professionals who are closest to the patient, should be more involved in the education of patients on the mental health care system in Poland. The training of primary care professionals is key to strengthening the preparedness of healthcare workers for public health challenges resulting from the growing incidence of mental disorders. School and community programs focused on children and adolescents are essential to address mental health literacy gaps in younger generations. Longitudinal studies to evaluate how perceptions and help-seeking behaviors evolve over time are also needed.

This study revealed significant gaps in self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders among adults in Poland. Almost half of adults in Poland were not able to recognize symptoms of mental disorders and one-third of adults were not aware of where to seek mental health care. Most of the sociodemographic factors did not influence help-seeking behavior, and female gender, ever visiting a specialist due to mental disorders and a history of mental disorders in the close family were the most important factors associated with self-reported help-seeking behavior in the event of mental disorders. Public health interventions including media campaigns, school-based interventions, and training programs for healthcare professionals are needed to develop health literacy competencies and address current gaps in self-reported help-seeking behavior.