Background: Mental Health Literacy (MHL) refers to people's knowledge and beliefs about mental conditions. It facilitates the recognition, management and prevention of morbidity. Palestinian population in Israel is at-risk to mental illness due to its minority status, therefore the acute relevance of MHL.

Aims: Examine mental health literacy, as expressed in identifying distress situations, beliefs on potential helpers, first aid and appropriate interventions; examine information sources on mental health among students in the Palestinian population in Israel

Methods: A cross-sectional survey in Arabic was administered to a convenience sample of 306 students in different tertiary education institutions in Israel. Case studies of depression and post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) from the Australian National Literacy Survey of mental health and Stigma were adapted to the local context. Respondents were asked to identify the condition and indicate suitable potential helpers, first aid and interventions, as well as report on their information sources on mental health.

Results: About half of the participants identified correctly the depression case and 76.8% the PTSD case. Professional providers were judged to be suitable for referral (physician, psychologist and counselor) while non-professional sources (family, teacher, cleric, friend) were judged to be less suitable. A vast majority of participants (78.4%) reported that they use the Internet as a major source of information on mental health.

Discussion: This is a first documentation of MHL among young educated adults in the Palestinian population in Israel. Under-detection of depression may delay or altogether abstain from help-seeking for oneself or fail to provide assistance to others. Young adults should be informed about the potential consequences of delaying treatment for mental conditions. Counseling programs for Palestinian students at tertiary education in Israel should be fostered and culturally sensitive community mental health services should be further bolstered in Health Maintenance Organizations.