11 Mental Health Myths in South Asians
An article by Shubha Herlekar, M.A., MFT of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation
This newsletter is made possible with the support of the American Diversity Group (ADG), based in Maryland. ADG is organized to bring together a diverse group of people to build and sustain a healthy community and enrich lives. Contact the ADG by visiting their website.
This issue presents an article originally written by Shubha Herlekar of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. It is an old article but pertinent today as we see a rise in mental health problems in the South Asian community. The article deals specifically with 11 myths prevalent in South Asian communities about mental health. For the benefit of our readers, I am reposting the article in full for easier access. - Ruchir
Mental health factors influence every aspect of a person's health. Many South Asians underestimate the importance of mental health and its impact on physical health. This section will discuss some common myths about mental health. Mental health, sometimes called "state of mind," affects a person's:
Rhythms of sleeping, eating, drinking, moving, relaxing, and quality of thinking
Health habits — moment by moment choices that impact health
Sense of whether they feel "healthy" or "ill"
Progression through a diagnosed illness
Ability to act preventively for good health
Some myths and misconceptions about mental health:
Myth 1: Mental health factors, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, don't affect your overall health as much as physical factors.
Reality: Your state of mind is connected to and shapes all other bodily states and needs equal attention. For example, South Asians are already at high risk of diabetes. Excess stress increases the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which can further increase blood sugar and accelerate the progression of diabetes. This illustrates how a mental condition like stress can directly affect your physical health.
Myth 2: Stress symptoms do not need to be addressed since they are not as serious or damaging to your health as anxiety or depression symptoms.
Reality: Many stress symptoms overlap with those found in depression and anxiety. In the mental health process, there is a continuum of symptoms, from less severe to more severe. The symptoms often have similar underlying mental and physiological mechanisms. Stress, anxiety or depressive symptoms may indicate that a person's responses are not a good fit with his or her current life situation. These responses can be improved if the underlying physical and mental mechanisms are addressed.
Myth 3: Mental health symptoms have to be severe in order for someone to seek help, and if one does seek assistance, it is embarrassing or shameful.
Reality: Life in Silicon Valley is very demanding and symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression are very common in all populations, including South Asians. Paying attention to these symptoms and seeking help does not need to be embarrassing or shameful. When the diagnosis is made by a professional, it can bring great relief to the people suffering and their families.
Myth 4: Mild versions of stress, anxiety or depression symptoms are just part of life's usual "ups and downs."
Coping by using mild forms of unhealthy habits (eating or drinking a bit too much) is acceptable.
Reality: Milder versions of stress, anxiety or depression can serve as warning signs. They can indicate a gap between the demands of your present life situation and your current coping ability. If the demands become more intense, then more serious symptoms and unhealthy habits may be set in motion. The benefit of seeking help when symptoms are milder is that more severe symptoms can be prevented when life becomes more demanding.Â
Myth 5: Will power, or learning to control your thoughts and reactions to difficult situations, can help solve your mental health problems.
Reality: Mental and physical health were not created in isolation, but in a complex web of related factors. Good health comes from a combination of many sources, such as your family history, financial situation, culture, current and past relationship dynamics, to name a few. Isolating "will power" or "positive thinking" as factors that can alone improve everything underestimates the complexity of mental health.
Myth 6: Stress, anxiety or depression are normal responses to a major life event (death of a loved one, job loss).
Ongoing chronic stress doesn't impact your mental health in the same way, and doesn't need the same attention.
Reality: Major life events that are acknowledged by people around you are difficult, but have the benefit of being recognized and legitimized as appropriate times of pain and suffering (bereavement leave at work). However, your health is as deeply affected by chronic stress, anxiety and depression that may not be recognized by people around you. You might be trying to keep the degree of your distress hidden in some way. However, if you don't acknowledge the seriousness of what is happening, it's harder for people around you to support you in receiving help.
Myth 7: Positive stages of life (marriage, having children, job promotion, moving residences, etc) should not result in anxiety, stress or depression.
Reality: Any major life change, even if it is a change for the better, requires mental recalibration and adaptation. This process can take longer and be more difficult than you anticipated. Many mental and physical capacities are adjusting to all that is new, as well as dealing with that which has been lost. For example, the birth of a child can present a tremendous amount of adjustments, personal strain, marital strain and a loss of freedom that many parents may not have anticipated.
Myth 8: Living a "good life" -- one that matches the expectations of your family, religion, or culture -- should alleviate any stress, depression or anxiety you may feel.
Reality: Making choices that match the expectations of your family, religion or culture can have great mental health benefits. However, trying to fulfill so many expectations can make you feel pressured and worried. At such times, trying to fulfill the ideal of the "good life" can cause its own distress. For South Asians in particular, the expectations in education, career and family life can be exceedingly high. It's important to prioritize and not try to fulfill multiple goals at the expense of your physical and emotional health.
Myth 9: The best thing you can do is to keep problems or difficulties to yourself so that you don't worry your loved ones.
Reality: Your stress, anxiety and depression symptoms are already affecting the people who care about you. South Asians tend to internalize their stress and emotional problems, minimizing the intensity of what they are experiencing or having physical symptoms that are indirect expressions of the stress. Acknowledging your mental health symptoms and explaining them to the people who care about you will likely provide relief and an explanation for certain behaviors.
Myth 10: South Asian traditional family ties can address anxiety, depression or stress without the need for professional help.
Reality: Traditions of family life help create a sense of belonging and history. When new circumstances arise, such as immigrating to a new country, how these traditions evolve and adapt is crucial to how a person will adapt in the new surroundings. How comfortable people feel with the changing family ties affects their physical and mental health.
While South Asian family ties can help in times of need, family members cannot provide the same kind of support that trained mental health professionals can.
Also, many of the most painful and potentially dangerous mental health breakdowns can happen within family relationships -- such as domestic violence, child and elder abuse. When an individual and family are facing many stressors, symptoms and behaviors can become more extreme and unhealthy with harmful patterns set in motion. These negative patterns require immediate professional help.
Myth 11: Stress, anxiety or depression are "western" health dilemmas. They refer to the individual person, and aren't relevant for South Asians, who are very connected to their families.
Reality: While the words stress, anxiety, and depression come from Western sources, the symptoms and states of mind that they describe are universally recognizable and may be given different names in different languages. What remains constant is that these states of mind have a negative impact on a person's ability to lead a happy and full life and can tremendously impact every aspect of their health.
Herlekar, S. (2012). Mental Health Myths in South Asians. Sutter Health. Retrieved September 7, 2022, from https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/south-asian/emotions-mental/mental-health-myths
