01-09-2009, 02:29 AM
well i live in singapore, a country that's a little off the Malay Peninsula, with a chinese majority.given my personal experience of visiting friends in the psychiatric ward&also seeing how people act towards these people - i would say that asians, on a whole, prefer to evade, avoid and ignore the issue rather face it head on. to admit to mental illness is a"shame", not just shame for you, but also shame to your entire family - the common saying we have here is"lose face".you could say that, with the western influence of the"skinny"culture, eating disorders e.g. anorexia, bulimia, or a combination are somewhat trendy among the young - 13 to 16 year olds, especially when they seek approval from their peers. moreover, such eating disorders are commonly seen in Co-Cirricular Activities (activities after school e.g. clubs) such as dance, cheer-leading etc.
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