Foo, Koong-Hean (2007) Module 3: Clinical issues. Asian Mental Health: Training and Development for Real Skills.

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Abstract

[Extract] Different Asian cultures manifest mental distress differently, and in their appraisals and management of these manifestations (Foo, 2007). For example, a study by Ball, Mustafa, Moselle (1994) found that young Muslim adults coped with their problems through praying and control of emotions. Most Muslim patients would have visited their traditional healer before consulting a psychiatrist for their mental illness (Razali & Najib, 2000). With Indians, the exhibition of possession syndrome is a socially acceptable coping behaviour (Shobhadevi & Bidarakoppa, 1994). In Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, ghosts or spirits play a role in human dealings, and a person who experienced feelings of fear, anxiety or depression might assume that his or her home was haunted. The guidance from elders to children when they faced feelings of frustration or anxiety is simply "don't think about it", as thinking would lead to negative experiences of affect (Sue & Sue, 1999).

By and large, help-seeking behaviours of Asians are determined by their cultural causal beliefs of mental illness (Sheikh & Furnham, 2000). Furthermore, Asians tend to solve psychological problems preferably on their own, relying on family members, close relatives and friends, or traditional healing practices rather than with MHPs (Ngai, Latimer, & Cheung, 2000). Thus, given their cultural dispositions, Asian clients might be perceived by the Western therapist as dependent, unable to make decisions on their own, lacking in maturity and possibly repressed (Sue & Sue, 1999). Consequently, a lack of understanding of Asians may lead to myths, images and stereotypes.

Item ID:	25462
Item Type:	Article (Scholarly Work)
Copyright Information:	© CAHRE - The University of Auckland. All rights reserved.
Date Deposited:	17 Dec 2019 05:16
FoR Codes:	17 PSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES > 1701 Psychology > 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9502 Communication > 950201 Communication Across Languages and Culture @ 20% 92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920201 Allied Health Therapies (excl. Mental Health Services) @ 50% 92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920209 Mental Health Services @ 30%
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