Barriers to Seeking Professional Mental Health Help among Indian Adults Aged 30-60 Years
Abstract: India's mental health treatment gap remains pronounced among working-age adults, yet this demographic is underexplored relative to youth and elderly populations. This descriptive cross-sectional study investigated self-reported barriers to professional mental health help-seeking in a sample of 41 Indian adults (54% male, 46% female) aged 30-60 years, recruited via snowball sampling. Seven barrier types were rated on a five-point Likert scale. Contrary to assumptions common in public health messaging, stigma-related items scored lowest?personal embarrassment (M = 2.44) and fear of social judgment (M = 2.24) both fell below the scale midpoint. Time and competing responsibilities topped the hierarchy (M = 3.73), followed by self-management preference (M = 3.68) and preference for informal social support (M = 3.41). Adults aged 30-45 rated time barriers markedly higher than the 46-60 cohort (M = 3.91 vs. 3.00). Male respondents showed substantially higher preference for family or religious figures than female respondents (M = 3.82 vs. 2.95). Privacy and confidentiality assurances were the most frequently cited facilitators for future help-seeking (39%). Despite 39% self-identifying as "very open" to professional help, 63% had never consulted a professional. Findings support a reorientation of intervention design toward structural and temporal accommodations rather than stigma-reduction messaging alone.
Keywords: mental health barriers, help-seeking behaviour, Indian adults, Health Belief Model, treatment gap, stigma, working-age adults
How to Cite?: Vishruti Mishra, "Barriers to Seeking Professional Mental Health Help among Indian Adults Aged 30-60 Years", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1526-1529, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261022120905, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261022120905