Chinese perspectives on primary care for common mental disorders: Barriers and policy implications

Sun, Kai Sing; Lam, Tai Pong; Wu, Dan

doi:10.1177/0020764018776347

Cited by 21 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 91 publications

(140 reference statements)

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“…Third, the barrier of low perceived need included trying to handle mental problems by themselves, family's opposition to help-seeking, underrecognition of the need for treatment, and ignoring the severity of their mental illness (11,(18)(19)(20). Finally, structural barriers involved concerns related to insurance, cost, confidentiality, transportation, appointment availability, scheduling, and childcare, insufficient accessibility to psychological health information, and limited resources about available mental health services (15,(21)(22)(23).…”

Section: Proposed Reasons For Not Seeking Mental Health Help Among Chmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, previous reviews of help-seeking barriers concentrated solely on either quantitative studies (24)(25)(26) or qualitative studies (27)(28)(29). Second, most prior reviews about help-seeking barriers only focused on published studies in English (30)(31)(32)(33)(34) and very few of them included related literature in other languages (21). Third, some previous reviews focused on the barriers to help-seeking among Western populations in high income countries, e.g., Canada, United States, Switzerland, and United Kingdom (35,36).…”

Section: Research Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More importantly, some studies explored barriers to help-seeking among Chinese (18,37,38), but there is no systematic review to synthesize this literature for help-seeking barriers among Chinese. In addition, many researchers suggested barriers to mental help-seeking should be explored in different cultural groups so that implementation of mental health treatments could use this information to efficiently provide more effective mental health services (21,(39)(40)(41)(42). This study systematically reviewed barriers to professional mental health help-seeking among Chinese adults reported in the previous literature, in order to provide more extensive insights into help-seeking barriers among Chinese.…”

Section: Research Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Barriers to Professional Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Chinese Adults: A Systematic Review

Shi¹,

Shen²,

Wang³

et al. 2020

Front. Psychiatry

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Background: A large number of Chinese suffer from common mental disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder), but treatment seeking is typically low in this population. It is unclear what barriers influence professional mental health help-seeking behavior within the Chinese population. Identifying these barriers could assist in implementation science efforts to reach this population. Objective: This review systematically synthesizes findings related to the barriers to professional mental health help-seeking among Chinese adults. Methods: Two English language databases (PubMed and PsycINFO) and two Chinese databases (WANFANGDATA and CNKI) were searched to find relevant studies. Quality assessment was conducted in identified studies. Quantitative findings were tabulated and frequently reported barriers were ranked. Primary data obtained from qualitative studies were thematically analyzed. Results: Of 6,933 citations identified, 17 met inclusion criteria. There were 11 (64%) studies that reported quantitative methods; 3 (18%) employed qualitative research, and 3 (18%) mixed methods. Results indicated that frequently reported barriers to mental health help seeking among Chinese adults included a preference on self-reliance, seeking help from alternative sources, low perceived need toward help-seeking, a lack of affordability, negative attitude toward, or poor experiences with help-seeking. Less frequently mentioned barriers included stigma, families' opposition, limited knowledge about mental illness, a lack of accessibility, unwillingness to disclose mental illness, and fear of burdening family. Conclusions: The current review identified a number of key barriers to help-seeking behavior. Effective strategies are needed to promote professional help-seeking among Chinese adults. Additional factors influencing professional mental health help-seeking need to be further investigated, as they may contribute to a better understanding the helpseeking behavior among Chinese.

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Section: Proposed Reasons For Not Seeking Mental Health Help Among Chmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Barriers to Professional Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Chinese Adults: A Systematic Review

Shi¹,

Shen²,

Wang³

et al. 2020

Front. Psychiatry

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“…The deep concern about shame and loss of "face" in Chinese culture may also intensify the stigma on psychiatric patients [59]. While these arguments fit into the context for psychotic disorders, the stigma for depression and anxiety disorders relates more to weakness in personality and having bad thoughts [59][60][61]. Regardless of the type of stigma, it lowers patients' willingness to seek help and affects their social life and employment opportunities [62].…”

Section: Stigma Related To Psychiatric Illnesses and Advancement Of Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of Stigma against Psychiatric Illnesses and Advancements of Anti-Stigma Activities in Six Asian Societies

Zhang

Sun

Jatchavala

et al. 2019

IJERPH

Self Cite

143

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Background: In psychiatry, stigma is an attitude of disapproval towards people with mental illnesses. Psychiatric disorders are common in Asia but some Asians receive inadequate treatment. Previous review found that Asians with mental illness were perceived to be dangerous and aggressive. There is a need for renewed efforts to understand stigma and strategies which can effectively reduce stigma in specific Asian societies. The objective of this systematic review was to provide an up-to-date overview of existing research and status on stigma experienced by psychiatric patients and anti-stigma campaigns in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Korea, and Thailand. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the following databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science, and local databases. Studies published in English and the official language of included countries/territories were considered for inclusion in the systematic review. Any article on stigma related to any form of psychiatric illness in the six Asian societies was included. Results: One hundred and twenty-three articles were included for this systematic review. This review has six major findings. Firstly, Asians with mental illnesses were considered as dangerous and aggressive, especially patients suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; second, psychiatric illnesses in Asian societies were less socially-acceptable and were viewed as being personal weaknesses; third, stigma experienced by family members was pervasive and this is known as family stigma; fourth, this systemic review reported more initiatives to handle stigma in Asian societies than a decade ago; fifth, there have been initiatives to treat psychiatric patients in the community; and sixth, the role of supernatural and religious approaches to psychiatric illness was not prevailing. Conclusion: This systematic review provides an overview of the available scientific evidence that points to areas of needed intervention to reduce and ultimately eliminate inequities in mental health in Asia.

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“…Manuscript to be reviewed psychosocial problems such as cognitive decline, depression, and loneliness are more likely to occur (Zhong et al 2017). Due to unawareness of the importance of mental health services and insufficient capacity in managing psychosocial problems, Chinese older adults treated in primary care have greater unmet late-life needs for psychosocial services (Sun et al 2018). Accordingly, the World Health Organization (WHO) advocated the integration of mental health services into primary healthcare, particularly in low-and middle-income countries such as China (Ventevogel 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #1 of "Quality of life of older Chinese adults receiving primary care in Wuhan, China: a multi-center study (v0.2)"

2019

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Background. Quality of life (QOL) is an important primary care outcome, but the QOL of older adults treated in primary care is understudied in China. This study examined QOL and its associated factors in older adults treated in Chinese primary care. Methods. A total of 752 older patients (65+ years) were consecutively recruited from 13 primary care centers in Wuhan, China, and interviewed with a standardized questionnaire, concerning socio-demographics, major medical conditions, loneliness, and depression. QOL and depression were measured with the Chinese six-item QOL questionnaire and the shortened Geriatric Depression Scale. Multiple linear regression was used to identify factors associated with poor QOL. Results. The average QOL score of primary care older adults was (20.7±2.5), significantly lower than that of the Chinese general population. Factors significantly associated with poor QOL of Chinese primary care older adults included engaging in manual labor before older adulthood (unstandardized coefficient [β]:

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Chinese perspectives on primary care for common mental disorders: Barriers and policy implications

Abstract: Current policies in China emphasize enhancement of mental health facilities and workforce in the community. Our review suggests that patients' intention to seek help and PCPs' competency in mental health care are other fundamental factors to be addressed.

Cited by 21 publications

References 91 publications

Barriers to Professional Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Chinese Adults: A Systematic Review

Barriers to Professional Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Chinese Adults: A Systematic Review

Overview of Stigma against Psychiatric Illnesses and Advancements of Anti-Stigma Activities in Six Asian Societies

Peer Review #1 of "Quality of life of older Chinese adults receiving primary care in Wuhan, China: a multi-center study (v0.2)"

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