title: "Tangled wires in the head": older migrant Chinese's perception of mental illness in Britain.
abstract: In this article, the authors explored Cantonese-speaking older Chinese migrants knowledge, attitudes and expectations regarding mental illness. They obtained verbatim data from semi-structured interviews with eight participants recruited from London-based Chinese and church communities in Britain. They analyzed the data using the principles of Grounded Theory and in-depth content analysis. They examined cultural idioms in participants' accounts. Findings suggested that Western diagnostic categories of mental illness were alien to participants. They had a culturally constructed way of defining and characterizing mental illness. Participants used idioms of 'nerve', 'mood', 'behavior', 'personality', 'normal life', 'compassion' and the idiom of 'others' to construct an alternative world for stigma management. They erected an invisible but permeable barrier to limit access to their normal world. The role of traditional Chinese culture of Confucianism was significant in shaping perceptions and conceptions of mental illness. This article offered another perspective on the alternative world of Chinese migrants' cultural understandings of mental illness, an area with limited understanding at present. The authors discussed important implications for future research and social policy.
authors.affiliation: Kingston University and St. George's, University of London, Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Grosvenor Wing, 2nd Floor, Cranmer Terrace, Tooting, London, SW17 ORE, United Kingdom. Electronic address: sarahshiuwaili@googlemail.com.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Kingston University and St George's, University of London, School of Social Work, Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Sir Frank Lampl's Building, Kingston Hill Campus, Kingston Hill, Surrey KT2 7LB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: E.Hatzidimitradou@sgul.kingston.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hatzidimitriadou
authors.affiliation: Kingston University and St. George's, University of London, Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Grosvenor Wing, 2nd Floor, Cranmer Terrace, Tooting, London, SW17 ORE, United Kingdom. Electronic address: M.Psoinos@sgul.kingston.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Psoinos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D066296:Grounded Theory; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Analysis; Chinese culture; Immigrants/migrants; Mental health and illness; Older people; Qualitative; Stigma