‘Invisible killer’ tortures Chinese minds

By Xiao Zhu and Du Liya Source:Global Times Published: 2015-5-28 17:13:01

Family disputes and workplace frustration foster mental disorder


Chinese-Americans are less likely to seek help for their mental health problems than any other ethnic group, a recent study shows. Family disputes and workplace frustration have increasingly become the leading causes of mental disorders among Chinese-Americans.

Richard Yu, a Chinese-American living in Montgomery County, Maryland, was recently reported to the police by his 13-year-old daughter Annie, who accused him of abuse.

Annie's mother told the Global Times that Annie came to the US when she was a one-year-old, and grew up under her father's violent control, making her a timid and anxious girl. Yu is a hot-tempered person and is very strict with Annie, often shouting and scolding her.

Believing in the traditional idea - once common in Chinese families - that sparing the rod will spoil the child, Yu did not realize his behavior had anything to do with a mental disorder and refused to see a doctor.

According to data issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, in 2013 679,000 children suffered from abuse across the country. The American Bar Association conducted a phone survey in 2000, finding that 18.1 percent of Chinese-Americans in California admitted being abused by their family members or partners, and 8 percent suffered serious domestic violence. A majority of them chose to keep silent, ashamed to tell others about their troubles.

More seriously, many Chinese-American families tend to explain away abuse as cultural divergence. New immigrant families especially, who face extra pressures and cultural differences, usually avoid seeking help for mental problems.

Hanqi Du, a senior psychological consultant, told the Global Times that a healthy family environment is important to a child's development, and parental abuse can easily lead to childhood mental disorders, adding that parents should seek out therapy if they have difficulty controlling their own violent behavior.

Mental problems also bother Chinese-Americans who seek professional success back in China after living in the US for years. David Liu is one such individual, who felt frustrated and helpless after trying and failing to start his own business in China. Liu came to the US to get his master's degree many years ago and decided to develop his career in China when he saw his old classmates prospering at a reunion party.

His long-time break from building Chinese professional and social networks made making his way in China tougher than he thought. Song Shan, Liu's wife who lives in Texas, expressed her worries about him as she had less and less contact with her husband and could sense the frustration he felt while trying to adjust to his new life in China.

Long-term separation is not healthy for a marriage, and depression may lead to serious mental diseases, said Du.

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