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

[Aqus]

I have travelled extensively in Asia especially South east and have noticed people tend to have little financially but better mental health while it seems opposite in rich countries in Europe and US.
I always wonder why that is? I think one of the factors is their culture about families supporting each other and concept of big families and extended family being there to support in bringing up children and looking after elderly. Another factor seems like sunshine and weather.
What are your thoughts on this?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Kuretake

I have a number of friends who’ve gone for the last five years two to three times a year to different Provences, living there for a week to three at a time so I hear a LOT about it! My husband also works with theee Chinese people and we all talk regularly (because of my friends). My WhatsApp rolll is full of pictures and videos!

Yes same. I have never lived there but done lots of business in China and have loads of Chinese colleagues. Wealth acquisition is certainly important as far as I've seen.

Exactly what I thought when reading the title.

Ime when I was a mental health nurse ,Asian families were very involved in their relatives care ,however they often didn't seek help untill it reached crisis point ,
I'm talking about people with severe and enduring mental illness.

Nothing to do about being at a different stage in life or the fact that they had already amassed some wealth (pensions, property etc.) right?

Because I bet the people moving there didn’t live their whole lives in a council house , in NMW jobs and only have a state pension do they?

How many of the youngsters that grew up there stay? How many are stable, secure and happy? How many take full advantage of the social clubs and what not , or are they too busy working in the low paid , seasonal jobs?

Then why are all the success/feel good/role model stories about people who made “it”(often out of that country) rather than the little old lady living in her little hut with her little patch if land her whole life and still selling fruit on the side if the road at 80?

People in underdeveloped countries aren't exactly happier, they have to work really hard to survive and support their families. I think that they are extremely conscious of their financial situation and know that they won't get government help if they allow themselves to get depressed and/or be out of work, so they keep pushing through. Someone with a medium level MH issue in a poor country goes unreported, where as someone from UK/AU/US would get government help and feels that they can be off work sick at least for sometime.

I just travelled to an underdeveloped country and they have to work 6 days a week, 9 hours a day for $200. This is not the minimum salary,it's the average salary of a clerk. Some groceries are very cheap but not as cheap for that salary, they have a very poor quality of life/ living costs.

I think much of it is down to no other option, to be honest.
If they want to eat, they have to get out and work, shop and cook it. Nothing is given or brought to you. Even if you are extremely sad and bereft, anxious or depressed, you still have to get out of the house. Even in the house, you have others to think of. No way to hide under the covers.

Do you have data or is this confirmation bias?

This thread has so much ignorance in it my head hurts.

This.

Pretty much what the UK used to be like back a few generations.

This fetishising and romanticising of poverty (mostly from people that never experienced it , particularly in a country where no one gives a shit and if you die, you die) really pisses me off.

I find this so patronising they seem so much happier with nothing that so many westerners have this opinion when they travel to countries where you have large populations of very poor people

is a miserable tourist worker going to get tips ? Do you not think they have similar dreams to us? Do you think they can pop to a go to get a prescription for anti depressants

they don’t have the option to navel gaze while travelling the world thinking how hard their life is, Religion plays a large part on acceptance of life (while not necessarily making you happy)

and mh issues are just not recognised in the same way as they were not here for our grandparents and great grandparents and so on

If that were true none of the social movements of years gone by would ever have happened.

I spent some time in Laos a few years ago. I was volunteering teaching English to youngsters and also doing some work wit teachers.

one lad I spoke to told me he had moved to the city (relative, it was a small town) because his family could only afford education for one of their seven kids and he was living in a room with his aunt and uncle and couldn’t afford to
buy food at the city centre markets so had to go out to the country ones to get food to eat.

his siblings were getting no education at all (no government schools near them and they couldn’t afford private)

he was expected to get a job after finishing education and the money would go to support his siblings and parents.

he’s under a lot of stress.

he wasn’t the only one by a long way.