Bill Aims to Reduce Mental Health Stigma in the AANHPI Community
The final day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Democratic lawmakers reintroduced a bill designed to break down the stigma surrounding mental health in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, NBC News reports.
Among all racial groups, these communities use mental health services the least, according to statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif cited “a growing mental health crisis in recent years, including increasing deaths by suicide of AANHPI youth.” CDC data shows that from 2018-2020, Asian Pacific Islanders were the only racial group where suicide was the leading cause of death among 10 to 24 year olds.
Why has seeking mental health support traditionally been a taboo subject in these communities? Cultural factors can create high barriers to treatment, says Dr. Warren Ng, the medical director of outpatient behavioral health at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Although the AANHPI community is far from homogenous, according to the article, “the concept of losing face or bringing shame to family and community, a fear that’s universal across many Asian cultures, can heavily affect many Asian Americans’ decision to get help.” Internalized racism within immigrant communities can also complicate matters.
“There’s such an acceptance that ‘we’re going to be treated this way anyway, so get over it — instead of being bitter, be better,’” said Ng. “It’s always a concept of ‘we’ve already accepted that this is our fate, that we don’t have it any better. We are not equals.’”
Not only that, but many children of immigrants can experience a “thriver’s guilt,” explains Sahaj Kohli, a therapist and founder of Brown Girl Therapy, a mental health community created for first- and second-generation immigrants.
“It’s almost like mental health impostor syndrome,” Kohli previously noted. “We are convinced that our parents and our elders went through something worse, so therefore our struggles don’t feel as valid.”
The bill — first put forward in 2016, now being re-introduced in the House by Chu and Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., and in the Senate by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii —requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to conduct research and collect data on AANHPI youth.
“As the only psychologist currently serving in Congress,” said Chu, “I know how critical it is to remove the barriers attached to seeking mental health care as well as reduce the stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues.”
Read the full article here.
Yam, Kimmy. “Democrats in Congress reintroduce bill to break down mental health stigmas among Asian Americans.” NBCNews.com, 31 May 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/democrats-congress-reintroduce-bill-break-mental-health-stigmas-asian-rcna87027.
Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash