Mental Health Seeking Behaviors and Trends Among the Hmong Population

Author(s): Yang, Ya | Abstract: The Hmong are an ethnic group from Southeast Asia who has lived as forced political refugees for the past several hundred years. In the 1960s, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited the Hmong to assist them with the Vietnam War. After the United States withdrew from the war, the Hmong were left behind and became the target to the Laotian and Vietnamese communists. This led to them experiencing traumatic events as they walked from Laos to Thailand to escape ethnic cleansing. From the refugee camps in Thailand to arriving in the United States, the Hmong have encountered various mental-health related issues. The purpose of this literature is to explore the mental-health seeking behaviors among the Hmong population and identify the common mental-health issues they encountered. Using a systematic review, a total of 27 articles were picked from PubMed and Hmong Studies Journal to be examined. This literature review found that the Hmong people have a low rate of seeking Western treatments because their community has always consulted a Hmong shaman, herbs or family members when they experience an illness. Findings also revealed common mental problems: depression, anxiety, adjustments issues, and other health concerns related to the work environment in a new country.