Perceived barriers to mental health services: a mixed-method study with Ukrainian college students

We examined perceived barriers to professional help among Ukrainian college students, psychologists and psychiatrists. Students from eight universities and psychologists participated in qualitative stage. A survey of barriers to mental health treatment was developed based on qualitative data and used with psychiatrists to validate understanding of help-seeking strategies gained in qualitative stage. Qualitative stage revealed two major sets of barriers. Some barriers were perceived as being caused by the structure in which services are rendered (e.g., availability of services, inconvenient location and hours), and other barriers were thought to be attitudinal (e.g., stigma, acceptance and trust). Psychiatrists supported categories that were found in the qualitative stage, still, they mostly believed that fear of hospitalization, anonymity concerns and hope to manage on one's own were three major barriers to seeking professional help. These results raise significant concerns of trust and ethics of the care providers in the post-soviet Ukraine.