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Sempiternal
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16 Feb 2012, 6:46 pm

I've been seeing a counselor at school for about a month, and she says that I need to go see a psychiatrist. She was going to call my parents to let them know, but I didn't want to ruin our vacation (my parents are a bit ignorant when it comes to mental health issues), so we made a deal. She'd wait another three weeks to inform my parents if I could talk to my doctor and get a referal to a psychiatrist and go see the psychiatrist before the next time we meet, but I don't know how I should convince my parents to take me to the doctor without bringing up the topic of mental issues.

Keep in mind that my parents are clueless when it comes to mental issues. Back in Vietnam (where they grew up), the idea of mental health services was unknown to them, and I've heard that in Asian cultures, there's a higher stigma for having mental disorders. I've even heard (though I'm not sure if it's true or not) that in some countries in Asia, there isn't even a word for depession.

Anyway, my counselor contacted this one lady (who usually speaks to Asian, mostly Vietnamese, families about these things) to talk to my parents after break, but I still don't know how to get an appointment with my doctor, then getting an appointment with a psychiatrist without making my parents stress me out even more.



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Tufted Titmouse
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17 Feb 2012, 12:54 am

I'm 36 and my parents still stress about my mental health. I mostly try to tell them nothing at all or failing that not let it worry me.
However if you feel you should see someone do it. At the end of the day, it's your life.



Sempiternal
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23 Feb 2012, 4:53 pm

I feel like I need the appointment, but I don't need my parents' negative reactions to it. :?



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23 Feb 2012, 5:29 pm

Making sure your mental health is good is worth your parents negative reaction. Just try and calmly explain to them why you think you need the appointment and what good can come out of it and they should be receptive to the idea.



Sempiternal
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24 Feb 2012, 7:09 pm

Like I mentioned before, my school's actually getting this one lady to talk to my parents about it, but I'm just afraid it wouldn't work. My mother's been lecturing me for not acting "normal" quite a lot, so I'd assume she wouldn't be taking this very well. But I guess their negative reactions would be nothing compared to what would happen to my mentall health if I didn't find help soon...