Barriers to mental health treatment: protocol for a rapid review and public consultation

Many people experiencing mental health problems are not being treated, even for the most disabling conditions. Whilst mental health conditions can be brief and self-limiting, untreated mental health conditions can contribute to serious harms such as suicide and substance misuse. Empirical research studies have identified a broad range of barriers that affect access to treatment for people with mental health conditions. Our aim is to provide an overview of research into mental health treatment barriers, by identifying types of treatment barrier, and by also identifying population-specific influences on treatment barriers, such as high personal expectations of self-reliance for current or former military personnel, language competence for some people who have migrated to another country, or fear of mistreatment by people who have experienced previous mental health service contact as trauma-inducing.