Articles on Psychology in Asia

What stops people with mental health issues from seeking treatment?

Worldwide, a large majority of those with mental illness fail to receive adequate treatment and hence undergo unnecessary suffering. Arguably as tragic is the suffering experienced by the family members who agonize about the inexplicable and seemingly never ending mental anguish of their loved one. In Singapore, for example, although depression is the most common mental health issue and there are a variety of treatments for it, only 31.8% of those with mental health problems such as depression receive professional treatment and do so only after years of delay e.g. four years for depression, 13 years for alcohol abuse. This means that 68.2 % of those needing help do not receive it and the 31.8 % of those who receive treatment wait 4 to 13 years before receiving it.

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Date Posted: February 7, 2012

Categories: Depression / Bipolar, Prejudice / Discrimination, Psychology in Asia, Self help groups

Top 5 articles on Psychology Matters Asia in 2011

A new year is fast approaching with a fresh start and new challenges. Let us take a look at some of the articles that had been previously posted on Psychology Matters Asia and have been well recieved by our readers.

In preparation for a brand new year, start it out by learning how to better manage your self-talk. A recent review of psychological research concluded that human behaviour was influenced by both conscious and unconscious mental processes (Baumeister et al 2011). It seems reasonable then to divide self-talk into two types, one reflective self-talk which is conscious and the other automatic and unconscious. Look at ways that can help up you make conscious effort to minimize your negative self-talk and reinforce your positive self. Read more ...

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Date Posted: December 30, 2011

Categories: Psychology in Asia

10 ways to find psychological help in your community

If you have not seeked psychological assistance before or have just moved to a new location, trying to locate and select the right kind of help may seem a daunting task at first. In our previous article, we explored the differences between the various mental health professions to help you better understand who you should approach for your issues. In this short article, we will explore the different avenues where information about the Mental Health providers can be found.

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Date Posted: August 15, 2011

Categories: Psychology in Asia

State of Mental Health Services in Southeast Asia

What is the quality and availability of mental health services in the southeast Asia region known as ASEAN?  The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a geo-political and economic organization of the following countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

Fortunately, a recent article by Maramis, Tuan, and Minas (2011) provides a very competent and useful overview of the state of mental health services in this region.  I hope that this brief review of their article will help disseminate the important information in their paper to mental health workers in Asia, particularly those in a position to affect public mental health policy. This is in line with the fundamental purpose of Psychology Matters Asia which is to act as a portal for providing information to mental health professionals in the Asia region. 

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Date Posted: July 14, 2011

Categories: Psychology in Asia

Psychology in Vietnam

VIETNAM is a Southeast Asian country with an area of 362,000 square km: roughly the size of Germany. It has a population of about 80 million, comprising 54 ethnic groups. In its long history Vietnam has had to conduct many wars for national liberation, and this cause was completed in 1975. In 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent, although it was to take until 1954 for liberation of the northern part of the country. In 1975 we liberated the southern part of the country and achieved national reunification. Since 1986 we have begun a renewal, turning the country from a bureaucratic and ubsidised economy into a socialist-oriented market economy to develop our economy, culture and education. We have achieved important successes, opening new prospects for national reconstruction. Education is an important part of the country’s renewal, and educational psychology has become central to the practice of psychology in Vietnam.

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Date Posted: May 18, 2011

Categories: Psychology in Asia