I thought the article, "On Some College Campuses, a Focus on Asian American Mental Health" was especially poignant because as an Asian American, i understand many of the stigmas behind Asian Americans and mental health. For many Asian American communities, mental health is often viewed as an “excuse” for lack of success. Most mental health issues are left undiagnosed, or ignored because the expectation is that the individual should overcome or ignore them. If you couple with the high pressure that many Asian Americans feel, it is no surprise that Asians face a disproportionately high suicide rate at universities (such as Cornell at 55%). I can see how many students might be over pressured, and then also be unable to deal with these pressures in a healthy manner. I think this is yet another thing that has been compounded by the “model minority” myth. When one is Asian, and believes that they are not achieving at the standard expected for them by their community and by society, they can directly face depression and discontentment with their lives. I think it is important that we create a dialogue about this issue, as such support systems are often not seeked out to Asian American Students. In order to do this, we must break down the deeply rooted stigma surrounding mental health problems in the Asian American community.
References:
1. Kam, K. (2013, September 11). On Some College Campuses, a Focus on Asian American Mental Health. Retrieved October 29, 2017, from http://newamericamedia.org/2013/09/on-some-college-campuses-a-focus-on-asian-american-mental-health.php
2. [Image] Retrieved Oct 29, 2017. Retrieved from http://media.namx.org/images/editorial/2013/01/0129/a_adams_black_mentalhealth/a_adams_black_mentalhealth_500x279.jpg.
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