ObjectiveDepression is a prevalent disorder that has a substantial impact on not only individuals but also society as a whole. Despite many effective depression interventions, delay in initial treatment contact is problematic. The Internet is a possible tool for low-cost dissemination of appropriate information and awareness raising about depressive disorders among the general public. This study aimed to identify factors associated with unwillingness to seek professional help for depression in Internet users.ResultsThis web-based cross-sectional study surveyed 595 participants who scored over the cutoff point for depression on a self-rated mental-health questionnaire for depression, had never been assessed or treated by a mental health professional, and were experiencing depressive symptoms for at least 6 months. Among the 595 participants, 329 (55.3%) reported they were unwilling to seek professional help for depression. Regression analysis indicated that unwillingness to seek professional help for depression was associated with male sex and financial issues as a depression trigger, and that willingness to seek professional help was associated with problems with interpersonal relationships. The Internet warrants further complementary investigation to elucidate factors associated with unwillingness to seek professional help for depression.

Background. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and is prevalent worldwide. It is expected that AD, for which aging is a risk factor, will increase in the future. Because early detection of AD has become increasingly important, promoting demand for screening tests with adequate sensitivity. In this study, we examined the usefulness of the Takeda Three Colors Combination Test (TTCC) for screening of the very mild AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Methods. 154 senior persons participated in the research: 55 with very mild AD, 45 with aMCI, and 54 control group. The TTCC, which was a colored cards configuration memory task, was examined for sensitivity and specificity. Results. The sensitivity of the TTCC was 76% and 47% for the very mild AD and aMCI groups, and the specificity was 83%. Conducting TTCC (including instruction and evaluation) was accomplished within 2 minutes for all subjects. Conclusion. The TTCC is useful screening test for early detection of AD. Furthermore, administration time is short and requires no special training or skills. Thus, we believe the TTCC shows great potential for use as an AD screening test by a general practitioner in communities worldwide.

Purpose: We examined the relationship between fecal occult blood test (FOBT) screening behavior and beliefs regarding FOBT screening in order to formulate effective measures to improve FOBT screening rates. Method: In June 2010, we conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 600 randomly selected individuals aged 40-60 years who were registered participants of Refine, which was an internet research company to cooperate with this study. We assessed CRC knowledge, perceived risk of CRC, perceived severity of CRC, concern for CRC, beliefs of FOBT screening, FOBT screening behavior, and demographic variables. Result: There were 592 valid responses (from 294 males and 298 females; mean age 53.96 ± 8.39) in the final analysis. A total of 266 (44.9%) underwent FOBT in the year preceding the survey. Factor analysis relating to the beliefs of obtaining FOBT demonstrated five factors (α = 0.829) including: (1) perceived barrier, (2) subjective norms, (3) low importance, (4) descriptive norms, and (5) non-necessity. Descriptive norms were found to be a promoting factor (OR = 1.18, Cl = 1.09-1.28), and perceived barrier (OR = 0.88, Cl = 0.84-0.94) and low importance (OR = 0.91, Cl = 0.82-0.99) were inhibiting factors of FOBT screening behavior. Conclusion: This study suggests the following three actions can effectively improve the cancer screening rate: (1) promotion of public awareness that everyone should be regularly screened for cancer, (2) informing the public about the ease of obtaining FOBT, and (3) promotion of the importance of FOBT.

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