Introduction:

Mental problems and disorders are prevalent in the adolescent population. It is estimated that around 10% of adolescents have mental disorders that require attention and are generally not recognised as such. The aim was to determine potential factors associated with whether or not mental disorders and problems are recognised in the Colombian population.

Methods:

Adolescents aged 12 to 17 who said they had been diagnosed with a mental health problem or disorder by a healthcare professional were identified from the National Mental Health Survey conducted in Colombia in 2015. This group was compared with those who scored positive for mental disorders measured by CIDI 3.0 or mental problems detected by SRQ-20.

Results:

A sample of 1,754 adolescents was obtained, of whom 7.3% (n = 129) had disorders and 22.6% (n = 396) had problems. Of the total with disorders and problems, 13.9% (n = 18) of people with disorders and 8.3% (n = 33) with problems knew they had them. Bivariate analyses were performed with the possible related variables, and with the results we constructed a multivariate regression model that identified factors associated with the recognition of disorders or problems, such as family dysfunction (OR = 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3-4.5) or counting on family when having financial problems (OR = 2.7; 95% CI, 1.0-7.2).

Conclusions:

Recognition is of great importance for initiating access to care by adolescents. The results provide associated variables which can aid planning of interventions to improve the detection of disorders and problems in this population.

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