Canterbury University. New-Zealand: Chinese people with mental health problems do not seek help from
mental health services because of shame and stigma and the fear of
losing face, a University of Canterbury research study has found.
Health sciences postgraduate student Holly Zhang says Chinese New
Zealanders tend to hide their problems and not ask for help. Her
research also found some Chinese people who want help have language or
transport problems and do not know where they can receive mental health
care. Zhang’s research was supervised by Associate Professor Pauline
Barnett and Dr Jeff Gage.
There are about 163,000 Chinese people living in New Zealand and they
are more likely to have a higher education, be younger but have a lower
income than other people in the New Zealand community. More than 70
percent of Chinese were born overseas, indicating that most of them are
migrants.
“I am a psychiatrist from China, so I am very interested in people’s
mental health. During my life in New Zealand, I met a number of Chinese
people with mental health problems who did not get appropriate care.
“I spoke to a wide range of major health providers in Christchurch on
their perceptions of important mental health problems for Chinese
people, the barriers to providing support and possible solutions.
My study identified several high risk groups including Chinese
elders, Chinese international students, and Chinese people caught
between two cultures.
“I am impressed with the mental health services in New Zealand. There
is a good range of mental health services which could support people
once their mental health needs were established.
“The referral system ensures people can receive coordinated mental
health care. But health providers and patients might feel daunted by
communication problems and therefore are unable to get the most out of
treatment.
“The health services have developed differently within New Zealand.
The Auckland region seems to have more of an understanding about Chinese
people’s mental health issues and with more available and accessible
mental health services in Chinese.
“In Christchurch, only a few Chinese health providers were
identified, and people have less choice. In this case it is unlikely
that Chinese people’s health needs, especially mental health’s needs,
can be fully met.
“Chinese people should go outside the family and ask for help, take
opportunities to practice English, communicate with local people to
understand New Zealand culture and attend social groups.
“Health providers and policy makers should establish trustful
relationships with their Chinese clients with cultural respect,
establish community-supported mental health services, and provide
educational seminars for Chinese people, health providers and policy
makers so that they understand each other better.
“Training more Chinese health practitioners to work alongside with
the western health system might be a quicker and cheaper way to ensure
Chinese people to get appropriate care. The findings from this study
might not only benefit Chinese people but also benefit people from other
cultural backgrounds,” Zhang says.