Tehran University of Medical Sciences Nursing Practice Today 2383-1154 0 0 2026 10 07 5241 5241 EN Faida Annisa Faculty of Nursing, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand Penpaktr Uthis Center of Excellence for Enhancing Well-being in Vulnerable and Chronic Illness Populations, Faculty of Nursing, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand 2026 05 25 2026 09 03 Background & Aim: Help-seeking is central to youth mental health research and nursing practice, yet existing models and instruments often assume that youth recognize distress as a problem requiring support. This concept analysis aimed to clarify youth mental health help-seeking, focusing on problem recognition as an early and rarely assessed component. Methods & Materials: Walker and Avant's eight-step method was used. Searches of PubMed, EBSCO, and Google Scholar focused on literature published during 2011-2026, with earlier seminal works retained. Thirty-two core sources were analyzed to examine conceptual uses, defining attributes, cases, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents. Results: Help-seeking was conceptualized as a progressive process involving three defining attributes: recognition of a problem, intentional decision-making, and engagement with appropriate support sources. Antecedents included psychological distress or functional difficulty, mental health literacy, beliefs and stigma, trusted relationships, service accessibility, and support pathways. Consequences included improved mental health, enhanced coping, increased self-efficacy, normalization of help-seeking, and strengthened social connection. Empirical referents were identified for each attribute, although existing measures commonly assess attitudes, intentions, or behaviors and rarely assess problem recognition directly. Conclusion: Clarifying problem recognition as a defining attribute strengthens the conceptual foundation of youth mental health help-seeking and informs nurses' early assessment, therapeutic communication, mental health education, and timely referral across school, university, community, and clinical settings. https://npt.tums.ac.ir/index.php/npt/article/view/5241