Education
Spreading the Like Minds, Like Mine message through Christchurch's Chinese community
By Carrie Briffett, Communications Officer, Mental Health Foundation
Introduction
Setting the wheels in motion
Successful outcome
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Introduction
In New Zealand's Chinese communities there is a need for information on mental health and the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness, say health professionals. The Mental Health Foundation is stepping up to ensure that need is met.
When Vaea Hutchen, a mental health promoter (of Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Kai Tahu, Ngati Mamoe, Samoan and Tongan descent) in the Foundation's Christchurch office, noticed a gap in mental health information and services for local Chinese people she decided to do something about it.
Through her work with a refugee and new migrants self-help group, she became aware of a big need for discussions within the Chinese-speaking community - the largest new-language group in the city - around mental health and its associated stigma and discrimination. Vaea set to work organising a half-day event, held in Christchurch Chinese Church, to bring together Chinese support services and people from the wider Chinese community.
"The Chinese community here has some problems in terms of accessing mental health services," Vaea says. "It doesn't mean to say they don't have mental health issues, but there are cultural and language barriers, plus there aren't any specific Chinese mental health services here in Christchurch."
Setting the wheels in motion
Vaea spoke to colleagues Ivan Yeo and Charlie Tang at Kai Xin Xing Dong, part of the Mental Health Foundation's Like Minds, Like Mine programme that has been successfully working towards countering the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness in New Zealand's Chinese communities. Ivan and Charlie gladly agreed to come and give a presentation at the event.
Kai Xin Xing Dong is based in Auckland and Ivan and Charlie have already been giving workshops and presentations in the area, but the Christchurch event was their first time to speak to the Chinese community in another city.
"A lot of credit has to go to Vaea," Ivan Yeo, project worker, says. "I respect how she is able to get Chinese people together - it's not easy, especially for a non-Chinese person. It's also the first time the northern and southern team [from the Foundation] have worked together on a project. We usually focus only our own region, so to share that kind of work is marvellous."
Adverts ran in two Chinese newspapers, The Messenger and The Sun, leading up to the event to inform the community that it was taking place.
In acknowledgement of Dr Leslie Ding - a man who was highly respected in the local Chinese community and the first New Zealand medical graduate of Chinese descent to qualify in psychiatry at Otago University - and his passing in 2009, an invitation was extended to his nephew, Dr Colin Ding, to be part of the Kai Xin Xing Dong project in Christchurch.
Dr Colin Ding, who is a local family doctor, made the opening statement at the event and discussed how difficult it can be for Chinese patients, and sometimes the wider population as well, to report mental health problems to their doctor. In addition, he spoke about the lack of services - he recently had problems getting a counsellor who spoke Chinese, a difficulty that existed for both Mandarin and Cantonese - and his pleasure at the event being organised.
The event highlighted that, while there is still a need for more services for the Chinese community, many of the good services that are available need to be better known to the community. It also demonstrated the need to breakdown the stigma of mental health problems, so people can feel comfortable discussing them.
In addition to the Kai Xin Xing Dong team, there were presentations on where to go to get help in Christchurch from Partnership Health Canterbury and The Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand; a talk on Language Line from the Office of Ethnic Affairs Wellington; plus presentations from the Psychiatric Consumer Trust, Interpreting Canterbury, and Awareness: Canterbury Action on Mental Health.
People attending were given practical information such as where to get interpreters if needed, and how it was their legal right to get an interpreter for free if they needed one for medical matters.
Successful outcome
Eugene Sia, a Christchurch-based GP, attended the event. Eugene came to New Zealand from Malaysia and says he is noticing an increase in services for the Chinese-speaking community in New Zealand.
He describes the Chinese workshop as a "great opportunity" to learn about what services are available both for his own use and to pass on to patients. "It's all highly relevant information and a lot of people are missing out because they don't know what's out there," he says.
Ivan is pleased with how the presentations went and feels they made a real impact on the attendees.
"One of the interesting moments was when an older woman asked how we categorise depression," he says. "A psychiatrist, who was an attendee at the event, started talking about mood changes and fatigue. An older man responded that they must all be depressed in that case, as you go through changes when you get older. It was a great example of how you cannot generalise mental health issues."
People turning up for the three-hour event were also able to take away booklets and pamphlets from the services, which the organisers hope will further spread the word about the help out there for the Chinese-speaking community.
"Overall we can see that the topic interested people," says Ivan. "Everyone was positive about the event. It gets people talking about mental illness and discrimination. We don't talk about this enough in our community."
Ivan adds that, if funds were available, he would be interested in working with other mental health services based in different cities and doing more workshops around New Zealand.
If you would like to arrange a Kai Xin Xing Dong presentation or workshop in your local area, email: ivan@mentalhealth.org.nz
Download the Kai Xin Xing Dong brochure (in Mandarin and English).
Read Vaea Hutchen's blog about Chinese doctor, Leslie Ding.
