Deteriorating Mental Health in the AAPI Community

Written by Dr. Rutuja Dhore and edited by Jemima Yoon and Mariel Bumanglag

Content warning: This article discusses mental health in an informative light, but might be triggering for some. Please read with caution.

There is no denying the fact that mental health is a public health concern for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community since they face unique challenges regarding mental health. The following article highlights the mental health of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as well as the changes proposed to support mental wellness within the AAPI population. It is well known that the term 'AAPI' encompasses a wide range of countries, ethnicities, nationalities, and identities. The discrepancy in mental health is attributed to unique issues affecting Asian Americans, which predominantly include the stigma of mental health, cultural expectations, discrimination, and difficulty of cultural assimilation in Asian American communities. According to a study conducted by the University of Maryland School of Public Health, mental health is considered taboo in Asian cultures, which causes the community to dismiss, deny, or neglect their deteriorating mental health. Neither do they seek help because of shame, nor their parents believe in mental illness. Also, due to the prominent mentality that Asian American individuals must be highly successful and pursue a highly skilled profession, the skyrocketing expectations takes their mental health through a heavy downfall, which further adds additional stress and develops other mental illnesses. The discrimination that Asian Americans face and the difficulty of cultural assimilation can further create mental health issues in Asian Americans. They often find difficulty in recognising their self-identity and balancing two different cultures, with the pressure to conform to Western ideals of individualism, which contradicts traditional Asian family expectations.

• The Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype: This occurs when any member of the AAPI community is assumed to be foreign-born or doesn’t speak English. This increases feelings of isolation and loneliness by being presumed as an outsider based on one's race.

• Trauma: First-generation immigrants generally experience trauma which is passed down to their children and subsequent generations. AAPIs with a long family history in the US may have compounded trauma due to racial discrimination.

• Stigma: They are the least likely racial group to take action on their mental health and are more likely to reach out to friends and family. However, not all AAPIs have a strong support system and have difficulties expressing their challenges due to guilt, shame, or even not being able to speak the same language.

• Expectations: Criticizing appearance, comparing successes and other factors are also responsible for deteriorating mental health.

• Religious Intolerance: Religious minorities are often discriminated against for their appearance and beliefs.

The Rise of Mental Illness

Serious mental illness rose from 2.9 %(47,000)- 5.6 %(136,000) in AAPI people ages 18-25 between 2008 and 2018. Major depressive episodes increased from 10-13.6% in AAPI youth ages 12-17, 8.9 % -10.1 % in young adults 18-25, and 3.2 %- 5 % in the 26-49 age range between 2015 and 2018. Suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts are also rising among AAPI young adults. Population aged 18-25, 8.1 % (196,000) of AAPI 18-25 year-olds had serious thoughts of suicide in 2018, compared to 7.7 % (122,000) in 2008. Binge drinking, smoking (cigarettes and marijuana), illicit drug use, and prescription pain reliever misuse are more frequent among AAPI adults with mental illnesses.

Getting Help

There are several necessary steps required to take for community engagement and education efforts for improvement in mental healthcare access and utilization for the AAPI population. The use of mental health services must be destigmatized for dispelling myths and promoting better well being of AAPIs. Educating the AAPI population on mental health will require developing culturally sensitive programming which will address issues specific to AAPI populations and will also serve to destigmatize mental illness. Programs like the Healthy Minds Initiative have been working to reach out to AAPI communities to raise mental health awareness and destigmatize mental illnesses with fundraising and finding common purposes between partner agencies and community organizations. Finally, improving mental health service access for AAPIs with culturally competent mental healthcare providers and increased interpreter availability in AAPI communities will allow the ever-growing AAPI population to seek mental health services more easily.

Sources:

Cover Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

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2. "Table 1: race and Hispanic or Latino origin for the United States: 2000 to 2003" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 20 February 2016.

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