Mental Health Literacy About Depression in Public Security Police Officers: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Mental health literacy is an emerging topic that has implications for individuals’ health and well-being. Objective: To assess Mental Health Literacy (MHL) regarding depression among Portuguese public security police officers. Methods: Quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study using the QualisMental Questionnaire, which includes a vignette describing a case of depression, and the Personal Stigma Scale. Results: The sample comprises 253 professionals. Only 36.36% of respondents correctly identified the case as depression (95% CI: 30.40; 42.33). The distress was predominantly classified as “stress” (34.78%) or “anxiety” (32.81%), suggesting a defense mechanism that opts for socially less stigmatizing labels. Although the majority reject the belief that depression is a “personal weakness,” revealing low explicit stigma, the perceived usefulness of hierarchical figures in help-seeking is low (38.7% useful). High confidence is observed in informal networks (friends: 95.7% useful) and in mental health professionals, but there is marked distrust of psychopharmacology (antidepressants: 40.7% harmful). Conclusions: A paradox is observed between low personal stigma and low recognition of depression. MHL interventions should focus on neutralizing organizational stigma and increasing competencies for managing mental health crises arising from first aid, namely direct approaches to topics such as suicide.