Cherished C/W: PTSD, depression
7.2% of Australians will have a lifetime prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Higher rates of PTSD are commonly associated with experiences of sexual and domestic violence, severe physical trauma, time in the defence forces and proximity to death. The Black Dog Institute identifies four main symptoms of PTSD – re-experiencing trauma, avoiding known triggers, negative changes in thoughts and mood after the trauma and feeling constantly ‘on edge’ and overly aroused. However, in loving my partner I discovered a fifth. Sinta was diagnosed with depression with an alleged association with PTSD earlier this year. With a traumatic childhood and a rapid decline in her mental health, this was no surprise but nonetheless terrifying. I remember sitting in the waiting room at the GP, anxiously sifting through my limited mental health literacy at the time. It was my solace for a moment until Sinta walked out and headed straight for the reception hub. I hurriedly met her there and as
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I strode closer, a silent exchange confirmed what we both had suspected. Sinta and I are both from South-East Asia and despite coming from two different countries, we’ve found a curious number of similarities; from our love of bitter melon to our natural resonance with the Earth to the stigmatisation of mental health. Asian communities struggle to access reliable mental health literacy and support for a variety of reasons, enabling a toxic culture to fester in our families. This doesn't bode well for PoC as the way we experience mental health is two-pronged. Firstly, as refugees, immigrants, and the children of either, we navigate the intergenerational trauma of being dispossessed and our cultural heritage being lost in translation, all while trying to find home in places that vilify us. These struggles torment us further by manifesting through the emotionally detached ways our parents love us and the emptiness we feel when english becomes more innate than our mother tongue.
