BackgroundAdolescents and young adults often suffer from depression, but tend to avoid seeking professional help. The aim of this study was to explore the reasons for non-professional-help-seeking in a sample of young adults resident in Catalonia with depressive symptoms through a qualitative study. In addition, the subjects were invited to offer their recommendations for making mental health care services more accessible.MethodsWe recruited 105 young persons (17–21 years of age) who had participated in a national survey on adolescents. The sample was divided into thirds, with 37 who had a previous diagnosis of depression, 33 who had self-perceived emotional distress, and 35 controls. The participants were interviewed in depth about their reasons for avoiding professional mental health care services, and the interview results were analyzed using both qualitative and cultural domain techniques and corroborated through comparison with the results of three focus groups.ResultsParticipants’ reasons for avoidance varied both by gender and according to prior experience with health services. Male study participants and female controls mainly understood depressive symptoms as normal and therefore not requiring treatment. Female participants with self-perceived distress were more likely to cite problems of access to treatment and fear of speaking to an unknown person about their problems. Females with a diagnosis expressed lack of trust in the benefits of treatment and fear of the social consequences of help-seeking. In their recommendations for best practices, the study participants suggested educational initiatives, as well as changes in the organization of mental health care services.ConclusionsA better understanding of the views of young people and a greater effort to involve them as active participants is important for facilitating help-seeking in this age group, and for adapting mental health care services to adolescent users and their social context.

Background Depression affects a considerable proportion (12–25 %) of adolescents and so-called emerging adults (ages of 18 and 25). The aims of this study were to explore the relationship between perceived social support and depression in a sample of emerging adults, and subsequently to identify the type of social support young people consider most helpful in dealing with this type of emotional distress.MethodsA sample of 105 young persons (17–21 years of age) was selected from a previous longitudinal study to create three groups of participants: subjects with a previous diagnosis of depression; subjects with self-perceived but undiagnosed distress compatible with depression; and a group of controls. Qualitative and validated instruments for measuring depressive symptoms (the BDI-II, Beck depression inventory) and social support (the Mannheim interview on social support) were administered.ResultsLoss of friendships over time and dissatisfaction with social and psychological support are variables associated with depression in emerging adulthood. Qualitative analysis revealed gender differences both in strategies for managing distress, and in how social support was understood to mitigate depressive symptoms. Male study participants prioritized support that helped them achieve self-control as a first step toward awareness of their emotional distress, while female study participants prioritized support that helped them achieve awareness of the problem as a first step toward self-control.ConclusionsTreatment for emerging adults with depression should take into account not only the impact of social support, but also gender differences in what they consider to be the most appropriate form of social support for dealing with emotional distress.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13034-015-0088-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In recent years, the ethnographic method has been found to be an adequate instrument for public health and health education interventions. Nevertheless, its use contradicts certain intervention models, defi ned here as monologic, such as mass media campaigns and "rational actor" philosophies. Some epistemological foundations for these models were analyzed, such as the one-dimensional analysis of health/disease/care processes, the one-way communication and their hierarchical nature. In its place, a dialogic model based on the ethnographic method and organized from the criteria of multidimensionality, two-way communication and symmetry is proposed. Ethnography enables the effectiveness of interventions to be improved by providing an empirical basis for project design and allowing for social participation in health.

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RESUMO Objetivo: Compreender os significados que as pessoas atribuem à utilização de plantas nas práticas de autoatenção em situações de padecimento. Método: Pesquisa qualitativa, exploratório-descritiva de orientação etnográfica, ancorada na antropologia da saúde com informantes selecionados via rede de relações. A coleta ocorreu por entrevista semiestruturada e observação participante, entre abril de 2015 e fevereiro de 2017. Resultados: Participaram 17 informantes. Na análise de conteúdo emergiu o eixo temático: significados atribuídos pelos informantes sobre a utilização das plantas medicinais. Foram descortinados sentimentos de amor e felicidade ao uso das plantas, significados, como ajudar os outros, as práticas de cura, cuidar da família por meio das plantas, o conforto, a sensação de bem-estar, entre outros. Conclusão: Importância de o profissional de Enfermagem estabelecer uma aliança terapêutica com os sujeitos e coletivos sociais, com vistas à promoção da saúde e à integralidade do cuidado.