Background: New Zealand has recently experienced a massive and rapid influx of Asian migrants. The Asian population has doubled in 10 years and is now the third-largest ethnic group.
Materials: Databases reviewed include Medline, NZ government reports and NZ media releases.
Discussion: Despite the significant growth in the Asian population, most of whom are in a vulnerable age group for mental morbidity and are exposed to adverse experiences, accurate and systematically obtained information on the mental health of Asians is lacking.
Conclusion: This paper argues for a need to conduct a well-designed epidemiological study on the mental health needs of Asians in New Zealand. Recommendations on how to pursue this epidemiological study are provided.
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