To wonder Why some poorer Asian countries seem to have “better” mental health than richer European countries

I think if you were to travel around in the UK OP you would find lots of people living quiet, small happy lives.

I live in an unfashionable coastal town in the UK. There isn't much work and what work there is tends to be seasonal and low paid. There are lots of elderly people here and people without much money retire here for a cheaper way of life and inexpensive housing.

Generally, people here seem much more contented and happier than people I met previously in my tread mill, aspirational, expensive lifestyle in the city.

There's good community spirit here. Lots of social events, seasonal fairs and clubs. Life is more about family, friends, enjoying the natural world around us, the sea, health and experiencing the now rather than the what might come my way after the next promotion.

I completely disagree. I lived in China for 12 years and imo the Chinese place huge emphasis on wealth and status. School children are under immense pressure to do well and hobbies generally comprise learning the piano or violin and playing chess. There is very little time for outdoor pursuits and relaxing with friends. The extended family unit supports each other financially eg paying for university overseas or buying a house, but as your generation moves up you will be expected to support younger members of the family.

Yep, this, alongside little or no exposure to bloody TikTok, influencers, social media and chasing 'likes'.

I was struck by a similar question after visiting Laos last year. More so than the rest of SE Asia, but Cambodia is kind of similar too.

Laos is v poor but honestly, I was always met with smiles and incredible hospitality- probably because I’m bringing the tourist dollar, but it felt like everyone was happy and genuine, despite the obvious struggles of many.

I thought a few things

1. Buddhism is the main religion and its messaging is very much about how wanting more material stuff leads to more suffering - and so reaching enlightenment (which is not focused on this earth or your own ‘needs’ is the only way to be truly happy.
2. Family and community exist v strongly, and support is more ingrained.
3. If you have to work all day farming in order to eat (and hope you’re not killed or maimed by an unexploded land mine on your farmland), and then go home to cook over a campfire, before going off to work at the night market, then lots of the stuff people in the west ‘worry’ about is very abstract and irrelevant in the face of the much more basic struggles they have in order to survive/not starve.

That and the fact that as a traveller I probably only see the surface, so won’t see someone’s true mental status in my few days there.

I would ignore anyone who suggest a solution to this. It’s going to be highly complex and highly cultural.

firstly- do you know they do have better mental health? Or is it simply less spoken about/ supported?

how does it relate to poverty, which many of these countries experience, and trauma as many have recent war experience- for example, the uk “silent generation” (born 1928-1945) are so called because they weee as a generation deeply traumatised from being children in WW2.

cultural impacts- some cultures are compliant, some are revolutionary. Some are angry, some are peaceful.

you would have to have a strong understanding and experience of these countries to suggest a reasonable answer- think how little many British people know about British society and culture?!? It’s the same there. I suspect it’s more of an academic question, as interesting as it is

Define travelled and how closely you actually got to know the people you met there. How many were actively “poor”?

If you go and visit London(if you’re not from there), I doubt you’ll be swarmed by people crying on your shoulder and detailing every trauma they went through. Or that you’ll have any idea about anyone’s mental health other than the seriously ill/homeless/addicts.

Everyone I met in Turkey was “happy”. They were paid to be happy . It gave me absolutely no indication of their actual mental health, much less of the mental health of the whole country.

You have no idea what the rate of mental illness is in any country simply from travelling around and chatting to people.

In poorer countries, it's far more likely that mental health problems aren't discussed, recognised or treated. Someone living in relative poverty in a country without much access to free medical care is highly unlikely to report their depression or anxiety to a doctor and certain cultures simply don't talk about mental health at all.

I agree with GC though, most "poorer" countries don't actually record things like mental health. I certainly have seen Chinese kids with terrible issues - maybe just the ones sent here have issues at home or maybe that's why they are sent here, who knows - but they're also very damaged but can't tell anyone for the shame.

Sorry this assertion is all based on you having friends who visit China? Forgive me if I'm not wildly convinced.

A lot will be cultural expectations/shame. You could argue there were no mental health problems in this country generations ago... but it was actually just socially unacceptable, so people didn't show their distress in public. Hence the campaigns throughout my lifetime to make it 'ok' to be mentally unwell as well as physically.

Maybe because if you do have these issues you simply don't survive?

The Chinese students I've encountered in the UK seem to have significantly higher rates of poor mental health than home students. In many Chinese universities it seems to be compulsory to take a module on "mental health of college students" - I've seen a lot of transcripts when doing admissions for postgraduate courses here, and noted this. I'd love to know the background to this.

They don’t all have phones yet -when they do they will all go the same way as us

Because children are brought up with very little and learn from an early age that only hard work will mean their survival.

They value community in a vastly superior way. We pay people who do the opposite (sales, marketing etc) more than care roles and things that involve community. No brainer that ends up with everyone chasing money and depressed because they need more to keep up with the Joneses. We stopped properly funding mental health care when Cameron began austerity.

That's true often, but I am still very glad for the support of my family, culture and community. I wasn't always but now I am, after the ups and downs of life.

I have never met such a wealth and status obsessed, dramatic and manipulative culture as that of the Indian sub continent. I say this a British pakistani. Everything is about what will neighbours think and your social standing. I've seen disability, mental health hidden as it would affect marriage chances of the person and wider family.

So the OP couldn't possibly know what their talking about 😳

In these countries very few people will not work for example due to poor mental health. They will slog on. Sadly family support has been dwindling over the years and it won’t be long before it is similar to the west. My grandparents life in a third world country was vastly different to my aunties and uncles now. People are more lonely etc as their kids live abroad and everyone is too busy

Stats won't be reliable as poor mental health is not widely reported or tracked.

Only talking about China here as I have friends who regularly visit, and they work with a number of Chinese people but there it’s because they prioritise time outside, good food, friends, family and hobbies and we prioritise wealth, acquiring more wealth, time indoors, screens, junk food and we’ve lost community, family and talking.

Can you back up what you're saying with a few statistics OP?

I can't see how you can have any insight into a nation's mental health after a bit of travelling?

I would be interesting to know though.

There are also no benefits for people in poor mental health. Either you work or are supported by your family.

Korea has famously shit mental health

Japan has death through overwork and hikimori (young adults who game and never leave their room)

China is stripping back it’s curriculum because it’s teens are over anxious and not getting enough sleep.

travelling is not the same as living there

Because some countries just get on with life and are happy with what they do have not worry about what they dont?