Religion and Philosophy Affected Stigma against Mental Illness and Impact on the Mental Health Care in India and China

Abstract

Mental illness has been a prevalent issue around the world however; an existing stigma against mental illness is preventing the development of proper mental health care and resources. This phenomenon is seen in the countries of India and China. Considering a stigma is developed within the society based on some beliefs upheld by the general population, it was in the best interest to investigate religions and philosophies that people in both China and India follow and uphold. This paper aims to answer the research question of “In what ways has religion and philosophy, specifically Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, affected stigma against mental illness and thus the available mental health care in India and China?”. Through research done on the four religions/philosophies, certain connections could be made. In India, Hinduism views mental illness as a result of a lack of faith and adherence to rituals. In Islam, mental illness is also believed to be due to a lack of faith. Such negative views of mental health could be contributing to the large treatment gap in India. In China, Confucianism seems to be the reason why a mental illness stigma exists. Confucianism emphasizes adherence to societal views, even if that means suppressing emotion. This causes people to look down upon mental illness and justifies people staying away from those with mental illnesses rather than helping them. On the other hand, Buddhism, the majority religion/philosophy in China, seeks to reduce mental health stigma. Buddhist beliefs could be the cause of the increase in demand for mental health care. The connections made are beneficial to understanding the root of mental health stigma and can be used in the future to combat the stigma and start increasing awareness and available mental health care.