Family Ties and Cultural Taboos
Winnie Zhang (she/her) - UNSW undergraduate student and Student leader/volunteer
When I was in high school, my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia/psychosis, clinical depression and anxiety. At that age I couldn't understand it, how could someone be hearing something that I couldn't?
Coming from an Asian background, mental health is very taboo, and the family looks down on it sometimes. To throw another wrench in the mix, my mother also had Parkinsons which also meant that the psychosis medicine interfered with the Parkinsons medicine.
The fact that their truth is different from mine is scary. But this really let everyone around me see how my family cared for each other. Our house roles changed and while it was a bit of an upheaval, we really got the chance to connect more with each other as we supported my mother and her struggles.
She is recovering well now, but it is difficult to keep a strong face sometimes. However, through this experience I’ve realised that this feeling is normal, and I’ve learnt a lot about self-care too.
Caring for someone with a mental health condition has an impact on the people around them, especially their loved ones. But I think this gets overlooked sometimes, which is why I was a bit nervous to seek help for my own mental health. However, I think destigmatising it helps a lot and when in high school, I found strength in talking to my school counsellor.
Untold Stories is an initiative coordinated by the UNSW Health Promotion Unit (HPU). The HPU team thank all the UNSW students and staff who have given us permission to share their stories.
Content Warning: Conversations about mental health and mental illness can sometimes be difficult but you don’t need to face it alone. Find the support you need by contacting UNSW Mental Health Connect.