For major physical diseases, it is widely accepted that
members of the public will benefit by knowing what actions
they can take for prevention, early intervention, and treatment.
However, this type of public knowledge about mental
disorders (mental health literacy) has received much less
attention. There is evidence from surveys in several countries
for deficiencies in (a) the public’s knowledge of how
to prevent mental disorders, (b) recognition of when a
disorder is developing, (c) knowledge of help-seeking options
and treatments available, (d) knowledge of effective
self-help strategies for milder problems, and (e) first aid
skills to support others affected by mental health problems.
Nevertheless, there is evidence that a range of interventions
can improve mental health literacy, including wholeof-
community campaigns, interventions in educational settings,
Mental Health First Aid training, and information
websites. There is also evidence for historical improvements
in mental health literacy in some countries. Increasing
the community’s mental health literacy needs to be a
focus for national policy and population monitoring so that
the whole community is empowered to take action for better
mental health.