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Perceived Causes of Mental Health Problems and Help-Seeking Behavior among University Students in Ethiopia

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Abstract

The study examined perceived causes of mental health problems and professional help-seeking behavior among university students in Ethiopia. Data were collected from 370 students from four randomly selected colleges. The results revealed that the majority of the participants were able to recognize major mental health problems such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. They attributed mental health problems to psychosocial and biomedical factors and most of the participants had positive attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help.

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Correspondence to Yirgalem Alemu.

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Alemu, Y. Perceived Causes of Mental Health Problems and Help-Seeking Behavior among University Students in Ethiopia. Int J Adv Counselling 36, 219–228 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-013-9203-y

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