***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: AIMS The aim of the study was to investigate preferences in the general population regarding type of treatment for alcohol problems and the preferred setting for delivery of treatment and reasons for not seeking treatment for alcohol problems . METHOD Data were from a r and om , cross-sectional , interview survey of 9005 of the Swedish general population . Proportions of respondents preferring a certain treatment and source of treatment , and reasons suggested for why people do not seek treatment , were analysed in relation to number of st and ard drinks , employment status , education and income . RESULTS Most frequently endorsed forms of treatment were alcoholics anonymous or similar support groups and psychotherapy . More than 50 % preferred psychiatric or addiction specialist treatment . Around 10 % preferred primary health care and around 20 % the occupational health services . About 5 % preferred the social services . Respondents rated ' feeling ashamed ' as the most important reason why people would not seek help for alcohol problems . CONCLUSION Large majorities of the respondents preferred treatment in the health care services and few in the social services . Internet-based treatment and pharmacological treatment attracted few respondents , the majority preferring more traditional forms of treatment . Alcohol treatment remains a stigmatized field , evidence d by shame being the most commonly reported reason for not seeking treatment Background : Public attitudes towards a given medical procedure can have a significant influence on the employment of that method . Electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT ) is a medical procedure that has received an exceptionally ambiguous public reception since its inception . Aim : To survey the level of information about and attitudes towards ECT in a general population sample of the Chuvash Republic of the Russian Federation . Methods : A r and omly selected cohort of 5,373 people was contacted by telephone .  The respondents were asked three closed and three open questions . Results : The response rate was 74.7 % . Only 35.2 % of those interviewed said they knew anything about ECT . Health professionals and younger respondents were better informed . The two main sources of information about ECT were foreign films and the mass media . The main indication of ECT was thought to be schizophrenia . The majority ( 63.3 % ) of the respondents had negative opinions and emotions about ECT .  Conclusion : Limited information about and generally negative attitudes towards  ECT  were found in the general population of the Chuvash Republic . Gender , age , education level , employment in the health industry , and information source were found to be the determining factors in the knowledge of and attitudes towards ECT Objective It is often assumed that individual stigmatizing attitudes toward the mentally ill are linked to stigmatizing attitudes in the social milieu and that both , individual and social stigmatizing attitudes are major barriers to mental health treatment seeking . This study aims to examine these assumptions . Method Data from the 2005–2006 Eurobarometer general population survey ( N = 29,248 ) are used to examine the association of social stigmatizing attitudes assessed in a r and om half of the sample with individual stigmatizing attitudes assessed in the other half of the sample , and to examine the association of both individual and social stigmatizing attitudes with willingness to seek professional help . Results Social stigmatizing attitudes are specifically and strongly associated with individual stigmatizing attitudes . Both social and individual stigmatizing attitudes are associated with willingness to seek professional help . Believing the mentally ill to be dangerous or not likely to recover , or living in a community with such beliefs , are associated with increased willingness to seek help ; whereas , believing the mentally ill to be unpredictable or blameworthy for their illness , or living in a community with strong beliefs in blameworthiness of the mentally ill , are associated with decreased willingness to seek professional help . Conclusion The view that all stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness are associated with reluctance to seek professional help may be naive as some stigmatizing attitudes may be associated with increased willingness to seek help . The complex association of different stigmatizing attitudes with professional help seeking should be carefully considered in planning anti-stigma campaigns Objective : We investigated the lay public 's attitudes toward help seeking and preferences for treatment of Alzheimer 's disease ( AD ) in the city of São Paulo , Brazil . Method : Cross-sectional population -based r and om sample of 500 household residents over 18 years old participated in face-to-face interviews in São Paulo , which included a case vignette depicting AD and a structured question naire . Results : Public opinion rests firmly in the lay support system . Psychologists and self-help groups and close relatives were often rated as helpful . Many alternative treatments ( such as vitamins , physical exercise , vacation ) were often rated as helpful . Limited education , younger age and experience with psychiatric problems are associated with the ‘ medical ’ intervention model . Female sex and middle age are associated with ‘ alternative ’ interventions . Conclusion : Our results suggest that attitudes and belief systems have an important impact on help-seeking and treatment recommendations Objective . Public social policies in New Zeal and assume that there are fundamental differences between Maori views of health phenomena and non‐Maori perceptions . The biomedical model and a Maori model known as Te Whare Tapa Wha are commonly employed to characterise these differences . Using the categorical ethnicity demarcation ‘ Maori/non‐Maori ’ we investigate this cl aim with respect to mental health literacy about depression . Design . Participants were r and omly selected from the General and Maori Electoral Rolls and recruited by post ( N=205 ) . A vignette methodology was employed and involved the development of a fictional character as a target stimulus who exhibited the minimum DSM‐IV‐R criteria for a major depressive disorder . Participants responded to items regarding problem recognition , well‐being , causal attributions , treatment preferences , and likely prognosis . Results . The majority of Maori and non‐Maori participants correctly identified the problem the vignette character was experiencing and nominated congruent attributions for the causes of the problem . In relation to treatment strategies and likely prognosis , independent of self‐assigned ethnicity , participants rated professional treatments above alternative options . Overall the categorical ethnicity distinction ‘ Maori and non‐Maori ’ produced no systematic variation with regards to individual evaluative responses about a major depressive disorder . Conclusions . Contrary to the embedded assumption within New Zeal and 's public health strategies that there are essential differences between the way Maori and non‐Maori view health problems , and that the categorical ethnicity demarcation reliably reflects these differences , we found no evidence for the veracity of this cl aim using a major depressive disorder as a target for judgements . Alternative explanations are canvassed as to why this assumption about fundamental differences based on categorical ethnicity has gained ascendancy and prominence within the sphere of New Zeal and health OBJECTIVE Stigma associated with mental illness continues to be a significant barrier to help seeking , leading to negative attitudes about mental health treatment and deterring individuals who need services from seeking care . This study examined the impact of public stigma ( negative attitudes held by the public ) and internalized stigma ( negative attitudes held by stigmatized individuals about themselves ) on racial differences in treatment-seeking attitudes and behaviors among older adults with depression . METHOD R and om digit dialing was utilized to identify a representative sample of 248 African American and white older adults ( older than 60 years ) with depression ( symptoms assessed by the Patient Health Question naire-9 ) . Telephone-based surveys were conducted to assess their treatment-seeking attitudes and behaviors and the factors that impacted these behaviors . RESULTS Depressed older adult participants endorsed a high level of public stigma and were not likely to be currently engaged in or did they intend to seek mental health treatment . Results also suggested that African American older adults were more likely to internalize stigma and endorsed less positive attitudes toward seeking mental health treatment than their white counterparts . Multiple regression analysis indicated that internalized stigma partially mediated the relationship between race and attitudes toward treatment . CONCLUSION Stigma associated with having a mental illness has a negative influence on attitudes and intentions toward seeking mental health services among older adults with depression , particularly African American elders . Interventions to target internalized stigma are needed to help engage this population in psychosocial mental health treatments OBJECTIVE To identify changes in mental health literacy in regard to depression between 1998 and 2004 . DESIGN AND SETTING Face-to-face interviews with a r and om and representative sample of the South Australian population in 2004 , compared with a similarly conducted survey in 1998 that used the same vignette , questions and methodology . PARTICIPANTS 3015 r and omly selected participants , aged 15 years and over . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Responses to both  open-ended  and direct questions  about symptoms and treatment options for depression . RESULTS The 3015 interviews conducted represented a response rate of 65.9 % . Compared with 1998 , in 2004 there was a significant increase in the proportion of people recognising depression in the vignette , acknowledging personal experience of depression , and perceiving professional assistance to be more helpful and less harmful . However , although more people nominated psychiatrists or psychologists as therapists of choice , the difference between 1998 and 2004 was not significant . CONCLUSIONS There has been a significant increase in mental health literacy , at least as regards depression , in the South Australian community between 1998 and 2004 . The lack of significant change in psychiatrists and /or psychologists being perceived as therapists of choice is of concern and suggests that community education about their expertise may be appropriate Background Mental ill health is a common condition in the general population , yet only about half of those with a mental disorder have treatment contact . Personal experience may affect attitudes , which in turn influence the help-seeking process . This study investigated differences in mental health literacy and attitudes among mentally healthy persons and in persons with symptoms of mental illness with and without treatment contact . Method A postal screening question naire was sent to a r and om sample of the general population aged 20–64 in the county of Skaraborg , Sweden in order to ascertain mental health status and history of treatment contact ; 3538 responded ( 49 % ) .  Face-to-face interviews were carried out in r and om sub sample s of mentally healthy persons ( n = 128 ) and in mentally ill persons with ( n = 125 ) and without ( n = 105 ) mental health care contact .  Mental health literacy and attitudes to treatment were assessed using questions based on a vignette depicting a person with depression . Past month mental disorder was diagnosed according to the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry ( SCAN ) . Results Two thirds failed to recognize depression in a vignette ; recognition was equally poor in mentally healthy persons and in persons with symptoms of mental illness with and without treatment contact . In response to an open-ended question concerning appropriate interventions , one third suggested counselling and only one percent proposed antidepressant treatment . Again , proportions were similar in all groups . Persons with a history of mental health contact more often suggested that a GP would provide the best form of help . When presented with a list of possible interventions , those with a history of mental health contact were more positive to medical interventions such as antidepressants , hypnotics , and inpatient psychiatric treatment .  When asked about the prognosis for the condition described in the vignette , persons with treatment contact were less likely to believe in full recovery without intervention ; mentally ill without treatment contact were more optimistic . Conclusion Mental health literacy , specially concerning attitudes towards interventions is associated with personal history of mental health care Objective A community survey evaluated whether the development of a shared mental health care intervention had an impact on health care perceptions and mental health status of subjects with common mental health problems ( MHP ) . Methods Adults < 70 years old with common MHP ( DSM-IV/CIDI-SF major depressive disorder , generalized anxiety or MHI-SF 36 psychic distress diagnoses ) , were r and omly drawn from the general population in the intervention area ( IA , n = 349 ) and in a control area ( CA , n = 360 ) , and evaluated twice at an interval of 18 months ( percentage of follow-up : IA = 69.3 % , CA = 71.9 % , P = .44 ) . CA and IA groups did not differ for the criteria of interest at baseline . Results At 18 months , compared to CA , IA reported significantly different help-seeking attitudes or behaviours ( P = .02 for all subjects and .006 for subjects with current MHP ) and greater general satisfaction with care ( P = .03 for both ) . Remission rates and daily life functioning did not differ . Conclusions After 4 years of development of a mental health network based on a consultation-liaison model , Shared Mental Health Care was associated with greater satisfaction and access with care among subjects with common MHP . The association was not found with mental health status , but the study lacked power to adequately address the issues BACKGROUND Most studies showed that patients would first go to their primary care physicians ( PCPs ) when depressed . This choice is probably due to PCP being the entry point into the health care system . We studied the general population 's initial choice of mental care in Hong Kong , where patients were unclear about family medicine and free to choose doctors of any specialty . METHODS A combined qualitative and quantitative approach was adopted . We held focus groups with  participants recruited from community centers and a telephone survey with adults ages 18 or above r and omly selected from the domestic telephone directory . RESULTS Of 1,647 adults successfully interviewed , 49.0 % would seek help from their regular PCP , 19.3 % from psychiatrists , 4.8 % from any doctors , 16.5 % from non-medical re sources ; 6.9 % would not seek any help , and 3.5 % were uncertain of what to do . Those who did not seek any help were more likely to be male or without regular doctors . The focus group participants highlighted the stigmatizing effect of consulting psychiatrists and expressed strong expectation of empathic relationship , time , and communication skills from their care providers . Some participants were not aware that PCP could manage mental illness . CONCLUSIONS Given free choice of health care service , most people would first consult their regular doctors for treatment of de 
    Output:
    
We found that professional help for mental disorders generally enjoys high esteem .
If respondents have to rank sources of help , they tend to favor mental health professionals , while open questions yield results more favorable to general practitioners .
Psychiatrists and psychologists/psychotherapists are equally recommended for the treatment of schizophrenia , while for depression psychologists/psychotherapists are more recommended , at least in Europe and America .
Psychotherapy is consistently preferred over medication .
Attitudes towards seeking help from psychiatrists or psychologists/psychotherapists as well as towards  medication and psychotherapy  have markedly improved over the last twenty-five years .
Biological concepts of mental illness are associated with stronger approval of psychiatric help , particularly medication .
Self-stigma and negative attitudes towards persons with mental illness decrease the likelihood of personally considering psychiatric help .
In conclusion , the public readily recommends psychiatric help for the treatment of mental disorders .
Psychotherapy  is the most popular method of psychiatric treatment .