During the pandemic, when depression and anxiety are up 30-40%, and reports of anti-Asian hate are on the rise, mental health support for Asian Americans is more critical than ever. However, research has shown that Asian Americans seek out mental health care at significantly lower numbers. Why is a reluctance to seek out help so common? Understanding the culturally-specific barriers Asian Americans face in accessing mental health services––such as stigma, pressures to succeed that immigrants experience, and the model minority myth––is the first step to a course correction. Increasing the diversity of therapists, cultural awareness, and changing the language around mental health, using less-stigmatizing terms, can have an impact. You can read the full article here:

Barriers to Mental Health Care for Asian Americans – and Solutions

Galetti, Grace. “Barriers to Mental Health Care for Asian Americans––and Solutions.” Yes! Solutions Journalism, 2 Feb 2022, www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2022/02/02/asian-americans-mental-health-care.

This story originally appeared in the California Health Report.