Mental health literacy has been defined as “the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that facilitate their recognition, management or prevention. Mental health literacy includes the ability to recognize specific disorders; Self-treatment and available professional help and attitudes that promote recognition and seeking appropriate help. “The concept of mental health literacy is derived from health literacy, which focuses on physical health, diseases and treatments
Recognition can be broken down into symptoms of illness or illness. Symptom recognition is the ability to detect beliefs, behaviors, and other physical manifestations of mental illness, without explicitly knowing which disorder they are linked to. Recognition of a specific disease is a disorder of presentation, such as a major depressive disorder. Recognizing the difference between knowledge and attitudes is a critical part of the mental health literacy framework. While some efforts are focused on promoting knowledge, other researchers have argued that changing attitudes by asking for more stigma is a significant change in the use of mental health care. Overall, both have great advantages for benefits
The lowest level of literacy in a population is a relevant concern, since the most basic level of mental health literacy is linked to general literacy. Without this foundation, the beneficial effects of mental health literacy are difficult for those who have trouble reading and writing. Increased measures to increase literacy rates should be used for empowerment and encouragement of self-help components of mental health literacy. Populations can be diverse, which means that barriers, such as cultural and social contexts, must be overcome. Within and between cultures, social, economic and political factors have a profound impact on mental health. There are many socio-economic and environmental determinants of mental health and mental illness, just like there are physical health and physical illness.