Mental health help-seeking behaviours: A Korean-Canadian adolescent experience

The present study explored the mental health help-seeking behaviours of Korean-Canadian adolescents in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) using a phenomenological approach. Current literature indicated a lack of attention focused on this growing community. Literature suggests that, in general, adolescents find difficulty in seeking help from professional health care workers. This is compounded by the mental illness stigma that pervades the Korean-Canadian community in the GTA.; Korean-Canadian participants, from 18-25 years of age, were recruited from various areas of the GTA and reminisced about their past adolescent experiences during audiotaped interviews. Particular attention was placed on their help-seeking behaviours and habits as adolescents. The findings from this study indicated a void in help-seeking between the two cultures: a bicultural blind-spot.; Future studies may focus on strategies to evaluate and examine existing programs serving Korean-Canadian adolescents with mental illnesses/acute emotional distress in the Greater Toronto Area.