A nationwide home survey on the identification of possible factors affecting help-seeking bebaviour for psychiatric reasons and the prevalence of related psycbosocial problems was carried out in a sample of 3754 adults in Greece.

Of the total of 570 respondents who reported at the personal interview that they bad a serious mental healtg problem, only 40.8 ; reported that they bad attended a physician or a psychiatrist.

A significant proportion of this population (42.5 ;) had sought the help of a physician.

Multivariate analysis revealed two opposite groups of factors determining help-seeking behaviour.

Respondents with a serious psychopathological profile (suicidal, depressive and a history of hospitalization) tended to be under psychiatric care.

Respondents of lower socio-economic status expressing psychosomatic symptoms were usually the clientelle of physicians.