WEEK 6-George Welly

George Welly

WEEK 6 

A01 

In regards to, On Some College Campuses, A Focus On Asian American Mental Health, Katherine Kam visits the idea of an evident problem within the Asian American community, otherwise known as frequent depression. Moreover, Kam focuses on the various factors that are affecting Asian Americans that comes back to the pressure of model minority. Because Asians are so pressured to do well and are already expected to perform exceedingly, many Asian Americans will develop depression, ergo when such feelings do arise, the majority of Asians view trying to attain assistance is evidently a form of weakness. These feelings boil down to cultural differences within non-Asians due to the fact that because this model minority myth is so true, people do not view depression as such a big factor playing into the lives of people. Increasing rates of suicide are a testament to this increasingly difficult conundrum and Kam emphasizes that everyone must be aware that such a problem is happening within the lives of asian-Americans. Quintessentially speaking, Kam stresses the solutions to such problems are simply having someone else to talk to and work one’s problems. Mental health is an issue that must not be ignored, but truly examined on a case by case basis. 

As I continued to read, perhaps the one thing I was able to completely empathize with is the culture aspect. Of course, performing well within the university itself is an expectation an not meeting the standards of your parents is viewed as a complete failure. While I may not feel so sad and depressed that symptoms such as failure to communicate and coming out of my room is not happening with my life, most of my pondering thoughts stem from being unable to just talk to my mom about the problems and struggles of university. While my relationship with my parents may not fit the stereotype of say tiger parents, what I want to emphasize is the importance of communicating with someone you trust. There will be times where life may not be worth living, however simply communicating to another person about your problems will surely improve mental health. 

Q: Sometimes when I feel down I usually go and pray or talk to my parents. With that being said, what are some of your ways to improve your day and your overall mental health. 

References: 

Media, N. A. (2013, September 13). On Some College Campuses, A Focus On Asian American Mental Health. Retrieved May 06, 2017, from https://youthradio.org/journalism/education/on-some-college-campuses-a-focus-on-asian-american-mental-health/ 

Feng, A. J. (2015, April 20). 1 Enormous Myth that is Hurting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community. Retrieved May 07, 2017, from https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/mental-health-myths-about-the-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-aapi-community/