Following the youth patient journey in the mental health help-seeking process in Bogota, Colombia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Understanding help-seeking behaviors of young people with mental health concerns is crucial for developing responsive mental health services and policies. This study aimed to explore the help-seeking journeys of Colombian youth, the formal and informal services they reached out to when faced with psychological distress and the order in which these services were consulted. Additionally, it examined the differences between pathways of actual service users and those modeled by fictional characters.

Methods

This study employed a mixed-methods design to explore help-seeking behaviors among Colombian youth (ages 10-19) facing mental health concerns, with a focus on service usage, sequence of access, and differences between actual (Clinical Sample, CLS) and perceived pat

SUBMITTER: Shambo-Rodriguez DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12914910 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature