Abstract
The aim of the current study was to investigate gender differences in help seeking
behaviours for mental illness, age differences in stigmatizing attitudes and quality of life
as a predictor for stigmatizing attitudes. This was a quantitative study that investigated
the above hypotheses with a questionnaire, given to 136 participants of all ages. The
results indicate that there was a significant difference between the ages in relation to
stigmatizing attitudes. There was a gender difference between attitudes towards seeking
help for psychological illness. Satisfaction with life was a valid predictor for stigmatizing
attitudes. This study can therefore conclude that quality of life is important in how a
person reacts to a person with mental illness, similarly as is age and gender. Author keywords: Stigma, mental illness, quality of life, help seeking
