Caregivers’ help-seeking for child and adolescent mental health: A look into their journey through the lens of mental health literacy

•Caregivers' mental health literacy (knowledge and beliefs about treatment) informed their decision to seek child and adolescent mental health services.•Educator and/or school staff recognize child mental health concerns.•Caregivers experience complex access and availability of child mental health services.•Caregivers desire and search for more mental health information using Online and Library resources. To examine caregivers’ help-seeking for child and adolescent mental health services through the lens of mental health literacy (MHL). Particularly, caregivers’ knowledge and beliefs about child mental health and treatments. Twenty-six caregivers who sought mental health services for their child between the ages of 6–18 participated in a semi-structured virtual or telephone interview. Interviews were conducted in Ontario, Canada, audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Grounded theory (GT) methodology was used for the thematic analysis. A model was developed to illustrate the study’s seven themes: Caregivers’ experience; recognition of a mental health concern; belief in child and adolescent mental health treatment; complex access and availability of mental health services; “chasing information”; judgement in parenting and stigma. Overall, caregivers’ knowledge and beliefs about child/adolescent mental health was the catalyst to seeking child mental health services. Accessing child mental health services is complex, non-linear, and fraught with barriers. Despite varying self-reports of knowledge about child mental health issues and their belief in mental health and treatments, most caregivers continued to search for more information about child mental health.