The Flesh Talk: An Exploration of Mental Health Stigma in Chinese Culture

A pursuit of the philosophy of He (harmony), rooting from the highly relational nature of Chinese traditional socio-cultural conditions, has been deeply embedded in Chinese language, social norms, and family education. In a discursive environment where mental well-being is partly perceived as a communal issue, open discussions of mental distress are morally constrained to a certain extent. Throughout history, reference to mental well-being has therefore been somatized in the Chinese language. These limits open conversations, and inhibits the process for seeking help if it is needed. In my research, I developed a group of discursive objects and scenarios to bring forward and expose embedded and somatized expressions of mental distress in Chinese culture. How might discursive artifacts shift the discourse and stigma around mental illness? Can discursive artifacts challenge the somatized language used in Chinese culture, to lead to a more open conversation about emotions and mental well-being? These are the main inquiries of the project.