Abstract
BACKGROUND: Community perception of mental illness is a collective belief system and attitude about mental disorders; it affects the availability of services, the level of stigma, and the help-seeking intention. This study assessed community perceptions towards mental illness and help-seeking intentions in Southwest Ethiopia. METHODS AND MATERIAL: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study was done in Southwest Ethiopian People's Regional State (SWEPRS), from March 1st to June 30th, 2021. All adult individuals >18 years old living in the region were the source population, while all adult >18 years old living in the selected household were the study population. The calculated sample size was 1028. Participants were selected using a multistage sampling technique. A structured, interview-based questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were entered into Epidata Manager and exported to SPSS for analysis. RESULT: The response rate for this study was 95.4%. The prevalence of poor perception and unfavorable help-seeking intention of mental illness were 45.8%, 95% CI (42.6, 48.9), and 49.5%, 95% CI (46.4, 52.7) respectively. Being rural [AOR = 1.94 (95% CI:(1.41, 2.66)]c, lack of information [AOR = 4.82(95% CI: (3.39,6.83)], exposure to mental illness [AOR = 4.11(95% CI:(2.64,6.38)] were significantly associated with poor perception of mental illness. Also, gating mental illness information [AOR = 0.40 (95% CI: (0.19, 0.83)], and being exposed to mental illness [AOR = 0.56 (95% CI: (0.41, 0.79)] were significantly associated with unfavorable help-seeking intentions for mental illness. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of poor perceptions and unfavorable help-seeking intentions for mental illness can be minimized through providing tailored information regarding the cause, type, and severity of the problem, particularly in the rural areas.