Mental health literacy: A cross-cultural study from Britain, Hong Kong and Malaysia

Asia-Pacific Psychiatry

Volumn 4, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 113-125

  Loo, Phik Wern ^a   Wong, Sharon ^a   Furnham, Adrian ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Britain; East west; Hong Kong; Malaysia; Mental health literacy

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AGED; ARTICLE; ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER; BIPOLAR DISORDER; BRITISH ASIAN; CHILDHOOD DISEASE; CHINESE; DEPRESSION; FEMALE; HEALTH LITERACY; HONG KONG; HUMAN; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALAYSIA; MALE; MENTAL HEALTH; MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY; MENTAL STRESS; OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER; PRIORITY JOURNAL; RACE DIFFERENCE; SOCIAL PHOBIA;

EID: 84861569827     PISSN: 17585864     EISSN: 17585872     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-5872.2012.00198.x     Document Type: Article

References (40)

1. Angermeyer M.C., Buyantugs L., Kenzine D.V., Matschinger H. (2004) Effects of labelling on public attitudes towards people with schizophrenia: are there cultural differences? Acta Psychiatr Scand. 109, 420-425.
2. Angermeyer M.C., Matschinger H. (1996) The effect of diagnostic labelling on the lay theory regarding schizophrenic disorders. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 31, 316-320.
3. Deva M.P. (2004) Malaysia mental health country profile. Int Rev Psychiatry. 16, 167-176.
4. Edman J.L., Koon T.Y. (2000) Mental illness beliefs in Malaysia: ethnic and intergenerational comparisons. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 46, 101-109.
5. Furnham A., Abajian N., McClelland A. (2011a) Psychiatric literacy and the personality disorders. Psychiatry Res. 189, 110-114.
6. Furnham A., Anthony E. (2010) Lay theories of bipolar disorder. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 56, 255-269.
7. Furnham A., Chan E. (2004) Lay theories of schizophrenia. A cross-cultural comparison of British and Hong Kong Chinese attitudes, attributions and beliefs. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 39, 543-552.
8. Furnham A., Daoud Y., Swami V. (2009) "How to spot a psychopath". Lay theories of psychopathy. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 44, 464-472.
9. Furnham A., Kirkby V., McClelland A. (2011b) Non-expert's theories of three major personality disorders. Pers Ment Health. 5, 43-56.
10. Furnham A., Wong L. (2007) A cross-cultural comparison of British and Chinese beliefs about the causes, behaviour manifestations and treatment of schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res. 151, 123-138.
11. Glendinning R., Buchanan T., Rose N. (2002) Well? What Do You Think? A National Scottish Survey of Public Attitudes to Mental Health, Wellbeing and Mental Health Problems. Scottish Executive Social Research. [Cited 22 Jun 2010.] Available from URL:.
12. Haque A. (2005) Mental health in Malaysia: an overview. In: Ansari Z.A., Noor N.M., Haque A., eds. Contemporary Issues in Malaysian Psychology. Thomson Learning, Singapore, pp. 26-46.
13. Helman C. (2007) Culture, Health and Illness. John Wright, London.
14. Jorm A.F. (2000) Mental health literacy. Public knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders. Br J Psychiatry. 177, 396-401.
15. Jorm A.F., Angermeyer M., Katschnig H. (2000) Public knowledge of and attitudes to mental disorders: a limiting factor in the optimal use of treatment services. In: Andrews G., Henderson S., eds. Unmet Need in Psychiatry: Problems, Resources, Responses. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 399-415.
16. Jorm A.F., Christensen H., Griffiths K.M. (2005b) Public beliefs about causes and risk factors for mental disorders: changes in Australia over 8 years. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 40, 764-767.
17. Jorm A.F., Korten A.E., Jacomb P.A., Christensen H., Rodgers B., Pollitt P. (1997) "Mental health literacy": a survey of the public's ability to recognise mental disorders and their beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment. Med J Aust 166, 182-186.
18. Jorm A.F., Nakane Y., Christensen H., Yoshioka K., Griffiths K.M., Wata Y. (2005a) Public beliefs about treatment and outcome of mental disorders: a comparison of Australia and Japan. BMC Med. 3, 12-26.
19. Jorm A.F., Wright A., Morgan A.J. (2007) Beliefs about appropriate first aid for young people with mental disorders: findings from an Australian national survey of youth and parents. Early Interv Psychiatry. 1, 61-70.
20. Lauber C., Falcato L., Nordt C., Rossler W. (2003) Lay beliefs about causes of depression. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 108, 96-99.
21. Lee S., Chiu M.Y.L., Tsang A., Chui H., Kleinman A. (2006) Stigmatizing experience and structural discrimination associated with the treatment of schizophrenia in Hong Kong. Soc Sci Med. 62, 1685-1696.
22. Lee S., Ng K.L., Tsang A. (2009) A community survey of the twelve-month prevalence and correlates of bipolar spectrum disorder in Hong Kong. J Affect Disord. 117, 79-86.
23. Luk C.L., Bond M.H. (1992) Chinese lay beliefs about the causes and cures of psychological problems. J Soc Clin Psychol. 11, 140-157.
24. Magliano L., Fiorillo A., De Rosa C., Malangone C., Maj M. (2004) Beliefs about schizophrenia in Italy: a comparative nationwide survey of the general public, mental health professionals, and patients' relatives. Can J Psychiatry. 49, 322-330.
25. Mubarak A.R., Baba I., Chin L.H., Hoe Q.S. (2003) Quality of life of community-based chronic schizophrenia patients in Penang, Malaysia. Aust NZ J Psychiatry. 37, 577-585.
26. Parker G., Gladstone G., Chee K.T. (2001) Depression in the planet's largest ethnic group: the Chinese. Am J Psychiatry. 158, 857-864.
27. Paykel E.S., Hart D., Priest R.G. (1998) Changes in public attitudes to depression during the Depression Defeat Campaign. Br J Psychiatry. 173, 519-522.
28. Pescosolido B.A., Jensen P.S., Martin J.K., Perry B.L., Olafsdottir S., Fettes D. (2008) Public knowledge and assessment of child mental health problems: findings from the National Stigma Study-Children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 47, 339-349.
29. Razali S.M., Najib M.A.M. (2000) Help-seeking pathways among Malay psychiatric patients. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 46, 281-289.
30. Razali S.M., Yassin A.M. (2008) Complementary treatment of psychotic and epileptic patients in Malaysia. Transcult Psychiatry. 45, 455-469.
31. Shulman N., Adams B. (2002) A comparison of Russian and British attitudes towards mental health problems in the community. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 48, 266-278.
32. Stening B.W., Everett J.E. (1984) Response styles in a cross-cultural managerial study. J Soc Psychology. 122, 151-156.
33. Swami V., Furnham A., Kannan K., Sinniah D. (2008) Beliefs about schizophrenia and its treatment in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 54, 164-179.
34. Tan S., Fung D., Hung S.F., Rey J. (2008) Growing wealth and growing pains: child and adolescent psychiatry in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. Aust Psychiatry. 16, 204-209.
35. Thakker J., Ward T. (1998) Culture and classification: the cross-cultural application of the DSM-IV. Clin Psychol Rev. 18, 501-529.
36. Tsang H.W.H., Tam P.K.C., Chan F., Chang W.M. (2003) Sources of burdens on families of individuals with mental illness. Int J Rehabil Res. 26, 123-130.
37. Wang J.L., Adair C., Fick G., etal. (2007) Depression literacy in Alberta: findings from a general population sample. Can J Psychiatry. 52, 442-449.
38. Wolff G., Pathare S., Craig T., etal. (1996) Community knowledge of mental illness and reaction to mentally ill people. Br J Psychiatry. 168, 191-198.
39. Wright A., Jorm A.F., Harris M.G., McGorry P.D. (2007) What's in a name? Is accurate recognition and labelling of mental disorders by young people associated with better help-seeking and treatment preferences? Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 42, 244-250.
40. Yip K.S. (1998) A historical review of mental health services in Hong Kong (1841 to 1995). Int J Soc Psychiatry. 44, 46-55.