MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY AND ATTITUDES TOWARD MENTAL HEALTH HELP-SEEKING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS OF NON-MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONS

College students who do not study mental health-related topics are a population that are particularly susceptible to mental health problems due to the stress of higher education and potential lack of mental health literacy. If this population has low levels of mental health literacy, they may not recognize a need to seek help and may be influenced against seeking help due to perceived negative stigma. This study sought to measure the level of mental health literacy among this subpopulation, as well as their attitudes toward seeking help for mental health issues by using a survey questionnaire which included two instruments to evaluate these variables. The data was analyzed using a correlation analysis. A study sample of 36 individuals completed the instruments fully in order to be included in data analysis. The results of this study found that there is a correlation between mental health literacy and attitudes about seeking help for mental health. Other relationships were examined between demographic variables and instrument scores, but these did not provide significant statistical correlation. Implications for the field of social work were discussed. The information collected can be used to further understand the topics of mental health literacy and how it relates to a person’s feelings regarding seeking services