5 Chinese Vietnamese Final - National Treatment Agency for ...

4 Help-seeking by the Chinese communities
See Key messages for a summary of this section
GPs were most commonly cited by study participants as the main source for drug
information, advice and treatment. They were followed by a wide variety of others –
friends, Chinese community organisations, the media, schools and health centres. Drug
services were rarely mentioned as a source of help, and then only by a few heroin
and/or crack cocaine users.
As discussed in Section 3, the drug service workers interviewed by two of the studies
reported that they had very few Chinese clients. One of them believed that, for help and
support with a drug problem, Chinese people:
turn to their own – turn inwards rather than outwards. They’ll ask their own
communities first.
However, the study reports suggest that this assumption is not always correct, and that
it reinforces the stereotype of Chinese people summed up by one of the study reports as
‘quiet … inscrutable … shy … self-sufficient … present an image of not causing any
trouble’. The reports show that the stigma of drug use (Section 3.1) actually prevents
Chinese drug users from revealing a drug problem to their families, as well as from
attending a drug information, advice or treatment service based in an area frequented
by other Chinese people, because of the possibility of being recognised.
The remaining sections report on the drug service needs of the Chinese communities as
identified by the three community organisations. These strongly indicate that, compared
to the white population, Chinese people are under-represented as recipients of drug
treatment services.
The Chinese communities’ drug service needs are categorised as information on drugs
and drug services, services’ cultural competence (especially in terms of language) and
engagement. Of course, not all these needs apply exclusively to Chinese people, nor
indeed only to members of Black and minority ethnic communities. Nevertheless, it does
not follow that Chinese people can simply 'slot into' existing drug services. Responses
may have to be different so that the barriers to drug service access that they face can be
overcome.
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