Mental Illness from an Asian American Perspective
Abstract
A neuropsychological assessment necessitates a thorough evaluation of the clients’ overall mental health and functioning. Understanding the cultural lens with which the client views the world and their well-being undergirds an accurate assessment. In this chapter, various issues in Asian American mental health (i.e., underutilization of mental health services), Asian mental health (i.e., classification of mental illness), Eastern psychology (i.e., mind-body connection, self-denial), and the intersection of the three (i.e., culture bound syndromes) are used as a framework to examine Asian Americans’ differential mental health attitudes, beliefs, and symptomology from Western perspectives. Lastly, Morita therapy, an alternative treatment modality, which may potentiate current models and interventions for the general populace, is used to illustrate the integration of salient philosophical and religious tenets from East Asia.
Keywords
Mental Health Mental Illness Mental Health Service Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline Personality DisorderReferences
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