Mental, neurological and substance use disorders are common; approximately one in four families has at least one member with a mental disorder which is accounted for 14% of the global burden of disease. Globally about 190 million drug users were reported and of them 40 million serious drug related illnesses or injuries were identified each year [1]. For example alcohol alone contributes for 7.6% males and 4% females of deaths whereas it contributes to more than 200 alcohol related diseases (alcohol related injuries, alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, and cancers) [2, 3]. However, 76% to 85% of people with Mental, neurological and substance use disorders in low and middle-income countries did not receive treatment for their behavioral problems [4-6].

Help-seeking is an adaptive coping process that is the attempt to obtain external assistance to deal with a mental health concern formally or informally. Formal help-seeking is assistance from professionals whereas informal help-seeking is assistance from informal social networks, such as friends and families [7]. In Ethiopia substance use in the community [8] and in university students has many social and academic related problems [9-11]. Despite the high prevalence of substance related problems, most people do not access professional health help. For instance, WHO reported that universally alcohol use disorder has a widest treatment gap (78.1%). However, problematic substance use is remaining a major public health concern and barriers to treatment for problematic substance uses have not been well searched in developing world [12]. There are evidences in which environmental factors serve as barriers to seek help for substance related behavioral disturbances in the community [13]. According to WHO report individual factors like, personal motivation, perception of need, lack of health insurance, internalized gender norms, and perceptions of social supports as positive, and others influence the help-seeking behaviour of adolescents’ [14]. From A community study among people with mental disorders including, alcohol use disorders, only 31.7% of them had sought help. From this report 15.7% help sought was from mental health providers, 8.4% from general practitioners, and 7.6% from religious/ spiritual advisors or other healers [15]. Professional help seeking behaviors among problematic drug user lesbian and bisexual women was only 41.5% [16]. Among people with alcohol use disorders 7% of them seek help from any mental health professional; 5.8% from medical health professional; 7.2% from a social support setting and 4.5% from any religious or spiritual advisor/healer [15]. Among patients who visited traditional healers for their mental health problems, 41% was visited to seek help for substance use disorders [17].

Factors related to enrolling in substance abuse treatment are multiple and researchers had blamed factors like lack of availability, transportation, and insurance [18]. Even though, men report higher levels of substance abuse than women and are more likely to have psychosocial problems, but are less likely to seek help [19]. Older adults’ positive attitudes and treatment beliefs were enabling to use mental health services [20]. Negative beliefs about the quality and effectiveness of treatment had a negatively effect to access services [21]. Reluctance to give up the substance; reluctance to admit the need for help and inability to afford treatment were contribute to poor help-seeking behavior [22]. Even if the magnitude of substance abuse in Ethiopia reaches 22.8% in the general population [23]; as per our best knowledge there is no publishing data to show prevalence and factors that associated with help seeking behaviour among problematic substance users in Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to see the level of help seeking behaviour and its contributing factor among problematic substance users in urban residents.