This study aims to examine how help-seeking behaviors of Chinese Americans are associated with the types of mental disorder, the tendency to somatize symptoms, social disruptiveness of symptoms, and comorbidity. Based on data from the Chinese American Psychiatric Epidemiological Study, we examined 246 Chinese Americans with a diagnosable major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, or somatoform disorder, using hierarchical logistic regression analyses. Compared with respondents with somatoform disorder, those with anxiety or depressive disorder were 94% and 87% less likely to seek professional help. The tendency to somatize distress is positively related to soliciting help, especially medical help. Social disruptiveness had a very potent positive association with help seeking whereas comorbidity is nonsignificant when the symptom severity is controlled. The overall picture indicates that somatic expression of distress is a major impetus to help seeking, which happens to concur with the cultural conceptualization and subjective embodied experience of mental disorders among Chinese.

This pilot study tested the feasibility and receptivity of a family psychoeducation protocol for Chinese-American adult schizophrenic patients and their caregivers. Although family psychoeducation had been proven a robust intervention, little empirical evidence is available on minority groups in the United States. This ethnically sensitive treatment adapted to Chinese immigrants had a shorter 6-month treatment and involved both multifamily group for caregivers and single-family group for individual families. Twelve families were recruited, nine in the intervention group and three in the comparison group. Four waves of data were collected at baseline, 3-month, termination, and 3-month follow-up. Most changes in outcome measures at termination and follow-up for the intervention group compared to baseline and relative to the comparison group were in the expected direction. Patient symptomatology and quality of life, and caregiver knowledge of the illness, treatment and community resources, and social support improved significantly. The protocol was found to be well received by the participants. Various considerations in terms of format, structure and duration proved to serve its purpose. However, flexibility in carrying out the protocol in order to cater for the specific needs of the families and their circumstance was found to be of paramount importance.

This article examines the tangible needs and external stressors experienced by Chinese American families with a member living with schizophrenia, in the context of a six-month pilot study of family psychoeducation. Therapists’ notes from 117 family and group sessions were analyzed. The families expressed concerns regarding housing, finance, work, study, and the shortage of bilingual psychosocial services. Interacting with government offices and social services agencies caused anxiety and frustration, partly due to the high stakes involved given their low socioeconomic status, and partly due to the bureaucracy. As immigrants, study participants had needs for language translation, knowledge about resources, and advocacy by case managers. This study also highlights the importance of interventions beyond the micro individual level to the mezzo and macro levels, where changes in organizations and policies are necessary.