This article explores how six Pakistani Muslim women interpret cultural concepts of izzat (honor and self-respect); what role, if any, it has in their lives; and whether there is interplay between upholding izzat and the participants' help-seeking strategies for mental health and well-being. Semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed with an interpretative phenomenological analytic framework. Three themes were identified: (a) "the rules of izzat," (b) "negotiating tensions," and (c) "speaking out/breaking the 'rules.'" Findings highlighted new insights into the understanding of izzat and the implications these cultural concepts have for strategies in managing or silencing of psychological distress. Interviews illustrated tensions the participants experience when considering izzat, how these are negotiated to enable them to self-manage or seek help, and possible life experiences that might lead to self-harm and attempted suicide. Notably, cultural codes, in particular izzat, appear to vary over the life course and are influenced by migration.
Keywords: Asian people; South Asia; culture / cultural competence; mental health and illness; qualitative; qualitative methods; research design; self-harm; suicide; well-being.