Aaron Cox posted:Great post Michelle,
My partner taught in South Korea for three years and she has talked about this many times. She would identify students who were struggling with mental health concerns and it was nearly impossible for anyone to take it seriously, or at that, admit it was an issue at all. My partner identified, as you have, a strong cultural taboo that associated mental health as a weakness of character. This, in addition to a culture which has highly uniformed body image standards and that pushes for a near impossible educational and work achievement, creates the environment for unchecked depression and suicide.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Aaron! This is a solid point you make - all these societal expectations and added pressures really do create a mentally challenging environment for any individual.
Liquor consumption is also a critical factor to consider when noting cultural differences. For some East Asian countries, to decline a drink from someone of higher status (an elder, an employer, etc.) is considered disrespectful. So, as the article notes, there is a rise of alcohol-related problems that are going by unchecked.