Perceptions of Chinese Australians on Seeking Help for Mental Health Problems: A Qualitative Study

Studies in Australia and elsewhere have revealed under-use of mental health services by Chinese immigrants. To address this problem, community-based focus groups were conducted with participants from Mandarin-speaking, Cantonese-speaking and English-speaking Chinese, and with locally born Australians and long-term residents. Interviews with 16 groups revealed that informants' patterns of seeking help for mental health problems were strongly influenced by cultural traditions and were different from customary Australian approaches, so opportunities to gain help for emotional distress were limited. There is a need to improve the relevant cultural competence of health professionals and to raise the Chinese community's awareness of service availability.