ABSTRACT
However, the IOM in that report also identified that over 90 million Americans had trouble “understanding and acting upon the health information” that was available to them. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2013) identifies that nearly half of the European population have inadequate and problematic health literacy skills. WHO also notes that lite racy is a stronger predictor of a person’s health status than income, employment status, education level, and racial or ethnic group. The goal of health literacy is person-centered care in which the patient/ consumer is an active partner in the attainment of their optimal level of health. This goal can focus on the individual, a population, or a community. Figure 31.1 depicts the WHO conceptual model of health literacy. On the other hand, mental health literacy has been defined as
knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention. Mental health literacy includes the ability to recognize specific disorders; knowing how to seek mental health information; knowledge of risk factors and causes, of self-treatments, and of professional help available; and attitudes that promote recognition and appropriate help-seeking.
