Mental Health Myths and Misinformation: Trends Among Tennessee's Rural Appalachian Population

Previous research has indicated that patterns of myths or misinformation about mental health exist in rural Appalachia. Due to the unique cultural and economic climate of the region and the predominately rural and isolated communities, health disparities and misinformation largely affect mental health care and mental health outcomes in Appalachia. Such misinformation includes myths about the meaning of mental health, the causes of mental health problems, how to get help, and appropriate treatments options. In fact, research suggests that people living in Appalachia have unique perceptions about mental health and the general health care system. More research needs to address the unique mental health challenges in Appalachia and work to improve care and education of individuals in these communities. The proposed study specifically seeks to address health care providers' perceptions of mental health myths among their Appalachian patients. This research is designed to gather information about the mental health myths that permeate rural Appalachian regions and to provide groundwork for educational reform in the area of mental health. Open-ended surveys will be distributed among doctors, nurses, and social workers and grounded theory methodologies will be utilized to analyze the data. These data will yield new insight into the health-related perceptions of individuals in Appalachia and will have implications for practitioners seeking to improve education, information, and treatment of mental health patients in underserved regions.