BACKGROUND: Help-seeking for mental health problems is a complex process that involves handling both personal challenges and dealing with the organizational structure of the healthcare system. The healthcare system is siloed and fragmented, but it is unclear how the challenges are experienced by the young adults and what their healthcare journeys look like. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore experiences of young adults' healthcare journeys in the context of help-seeking for common mental health problems.

METHODS: In total, 25 young adults (16 women and 9 men) from a student healthcare centre at a Swedish university seeking help for common mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, were interviewed. A qualitative thematic analysis with an inductive approach was done, and results were abstracted and presented in terms of journey-related metaphors.

RESULTS: The healthcare journeys of young adults were described as Taxi Riding, Commuting, Sightseeing, and Backpacking. Taxi riding and Commuting are defined by going in a straightforward and smooth way in the healthcare system, without major obstacles to care. In contrast, Sightseeing and Backpacking are characterized by more diffuse and negative experiences, where the young adults are not satisfied with the help received from healthcare providers. Help-seeking is not conformant with the design of the healthcare system but steered by a range of factors, including individual experiences and young adults' agency, the available resources at the various healthcare providers, and interaction with healthcare professionals.

CONCLUSIONS: Young adults' healthcare journeys in the context of help-seeking for common mental health problems are related to individual, relational, and organizational factors. Some journeys run smoothly, epitomizing a functioning healthcare system that accommodates a rational help-seeker. Other journeys depict a rigid healthcare system, where the success and nature of the journey primarily depend on individual agency and on not becoming discouraged by obstacles. There is a need for more knowledge on how to support young adults' mental health help-seeking. However, we also need more insights into how the healthcare system can become more receptive and accommodating toward the needs of young adults with common mental health problems. © The Author(s) 2025.