(Image: Mikyong Kim-Goh, professor at Department of Social Work at Calstate Fullerton)
The stigma of mental illness in the Korean American community – a stigma that only now is starting to change – is deeply rooted in culture and history.
Mikyong Kim-Goh, professor of social work at Cal State Fullerton, explained the dynamic, saying it remains difficult for many people of Korean descent to seek help for ailments that are not physical.
Q: Why is mental illness so stigmatized in the Korean community?
A: Because when you acknowledge that you have a mental illness, it doesn’t just affect you. It affects your family, your children, your siblings. That’s why people get so secretive about a mental illness in the family.
They’d take the family member to Korea, where they can be treated anonymously. The individual who has the illness feels like he or she is responsible for the failure of the entire family. There is a sense of shame. It goes back to the Confucian ideal of filial piety and maintaining the family hierarchy as well. The ideal is one of a perfect family. Having a mental illness, of course, goes against what “perfect” looks like.
Q: Can pastors or churches help diminish or erase this stigma?
A. Churches can help sometimes and hurt at other times. Some pastors are open to the idea of mental illness. Others try to intervene spiritually.
You can’t treat mental illness with prayer, especially the ones with biological causes, although it might help.
So, people tend to try everything else, from fortune tellers, acupuncture to herbal medicine, before they finally give up and decide to get professional help. It’s usually the last resort, and that’s because of the shame that goes along with it.
For the remaining interview questions in Deepa Bharath's article, please click here.
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