GROWING PAINS

Hun presents series of conversations about mental health with people from all walks of life.

As he does in the other entries in this series (any one of which can be read independently of the others), the author opens this volume with some sobering observations about the “mental health epidemic” currently gripping the world—as readers are reminded, mental health problems are not always obvious and visible. He intends this book to be a resource for people dealing with mental health challenges, particularly in Korea, Japan, and Thailand, where the situation is particularly stark. The collected interviews range widely and frequently involve a central frustration: Many people are generally unwilling to take these problems seriously. As Muhammad Syazan Bin Saad and Hannah Bastrisyia, two young “peer supporters” in Singapore, note, “Especially in the Asian culture, we don’t see mental illness as a form of real illness per se.” Joel Wong, a social worker, underlines the book’s central assessment of the seriousness of the issue, noting that, internationally, one in five people will develop a mental health problem at some point in their lives. The scope of that reality is reflected in the variety of emphases in these interviews, from educating small children on the subject to the workings of various kinds of therapy, and this underscores Hun’s wise choice to turn the bulk of his book over to a succession of different voices. Some interviewees are more experienced than others, and some are more articulate; the varying perspectives combine to present a mosaic-like look at caregiving that feels very authentic. Psychologist Camellia Wong mentions at one point that people often struggle with the dissonance between their ideal self and their true self, and this dissonance, in various forms, crops up in all of these interviews, each one a fascinating glimpse into the current state of mental health issues.

A remarkable and ultimately encouraging multi-voiced call for better mental health approaches.