title: Beliefs about causes, symptoms, and stigma associated with severe mental illness among 'highly acculturated' Chinese-American patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Literature about experiences of mental illness among ethnic minority has tended to focus on first-generation migrants. This study fills that gap by exploring experiences among highly acculturated Chinese-American patients with mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-nine participants completed semi-structured interviews based on Kleinman's explanatory model, which were audio-taped, transcribed and coded for qualitative analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Beliefs about the causes of mental illness included biological factors, head trauma and personal losses. Issues relating to stigma and shame were also discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Highly acculturated ethnic minority patients may ascribe to a biomedical model at the same time as ascribing to culture-specific beliefs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, USA.
authors.forename: Susan Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013240:Stereotyping; D055815:Young Adult