Week 6

Week 6

A02

Priscilla Lee

            The article, "On Some College Campuses, A Focus On Asian American Mental Health", by New American Media discusses Asian Americans’ mental well-being once they’ve reached college. There are many stereotypes associated with Asian Americans academically such as nothing less than an A, or the tiger mom, or even just born being smart. The truth behind this is that not only are Asian American pushed by their parents for a better future, but the students themselves also strive to live up to that standard. There are many factors affecting their mindset such as the model minority pressures and stereotypes, family expectations, racism, and discrimination. Due to these factors, it takes a toll on the students’ well-being mentally and physically. On top of all that, the students also don’t’ seek help because of the negative stigma in their culture and it would just bottle up, keeping all their concerns and pressures to themselves. This can increase feelings of depression, isolation and thoughts of suicide.

            Reading this article, I understand the pressures a student can face. I remember when I was in high school, a family tragedy happened during the week and the next day, I still went to school and acted like nothing happened. It’s not as if my parents forced me to go to school, but I felt as if I had to. It was also my way of not dealing with what had happened. I was pushing off the matter and not facing the sad reality. This is not just an Asian American issue, but also lots of other students don’t reach out for help or counseling when they need it because it may be looked down upon. As the next generation, we should try to change the perspective that asking for help is not a weakness and is important for one’s own health.

Question: Why is going to counseling seen as weak and a negative thing?

Reference:

1. 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/

2. Mental Health [digital image]. Retrieved from https://umc-gbcs.org/issues/mental-health

Week 6

Caitlyn Minas
May 6, 2017
A03

Mental illnesses are real and mental wellness is essential for maintaining a balanced life, but what constitutes an illness has become so widespread that we cannot distinguish what is normal stress and what is true panic.  Since I began college, I would see many reminders on social media and on campus about "self-care".  While I do agree that college students nowadays have their own struggles compared to previous generations and are more susceptible to burnout, "Pathologizing Everyday Life" captures my skepticism.  Are we as university students complaining too often, or we have never been able to define what mental health really looks like – or lack of it?

I know someone who cried every night for eight weeks straight for no immediate reason during last winter quarter.  She was determined to raise her GPA after a rough fall quarter, but it turned out her constant worry did not help her do well in her classes.  Rather, her grades remained stagnant, and she believed that in order to fix her problem she needed to study harder and smarter.  She blamed her poor preparation in high school without truly forgiving herself for sacrificing social time and overall happiness, which she lost after she began college.  It was not until the following year when she visited a counselor for possible depression or anxiety.  During the quarter she finally sought professional help, she got on academic probation, but she is finally happier, getting more involved in her community, and getting good grades.  So what really causes mental illness?  I would say, in general, it is the environment in which we as college students choose to place ourselves and those with whom we surround ourselves.

Q:  Do you think some people who come forward with mental illnesses do not taken seriously because they describe conditions that seem normal?

Blacksberg, M.  (2016, October 10).  Mental Health Is Just as Important as Physical Health :  Here's Why.  Retrieved from http://www.empowher.com/mental-health/content/mental-health-just-important-physical-health-heres-why?page=0,2

Week 6 Kevin Tien Nguyen A02

Kevin Tien Nguyen
Week 6
A02 

In this weeks readings regarding the effects of electromagnetic (EM) waves, it discusses the plausible effects regarding EM waves. Although I see reasoning why people see potential danger in EM waves, I also believe that part of it is misunderstand and misconception of what it actually is. It reminds me of the argument against genetically modified organisms (GMOs), we don't know the exact effect of either EM waves or GMO's but they are involved in a critical part of our society already. 

EM waves play such a crucial part in our society. EM waves aren't just Wi-Fi networks, they encompass a large range of different types of waves: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, and x-rays. Without these much of the things we do today wouldn't be possible.

In 2013, a group of high school students conducted an experiment on the effects of Wi-Fi on plant growth. Originally they wanted to see if sleeping next to your cell phone would affect your brain but due to the scope of the class they were unable to. Although their results seem to conclude that Wi-Fi networks affect growth, I believe that their experiment was not a proper one. For this test to be valid the only parameter that would be allowed to change would be the presence of the Wi-Fi network. This would mean that the sunlight, water, and even heat generated by the router creating the network would have to be accounted for. Any extra additional heat within the room can cause the plants to not grow properly.

Spero, B. (n.d.). Is Wi-FI in School Safe? Bostonparentspaper.com. Retrieved from http://bostonparentspaper.com/article/print.php?id=3009522

[Geobeat News]. (2013, December 17). Students Discover Wi-Fi Routers Inhibit Plant Growth. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK8RMIUKQjQ

Week 6 | Sabrina Chou | A03

Sabrina Chou
ASA2
Sec A03

Week 6: Pathologizing of Asian Americans and the

Americanization of Mental Illness and Other Harms to Humans

The article, "On Some College Campuses, A Focus On Asian American Mental Health", discusses the emergence of a focus on Asian American students' psychology on university grounds, due to the awareness of a pattern of pervasive suicides within the community. In relation with the model minority myth, Asian American college students often feel the pressure of stereotypes that paint them as smart and academically high-achieving, which can lead to stress, depression, and other related mental illnesses. Also, family expectations contribute to the burden of Asian American students. Generally, the narrative of parents sacrificing their lives in order for their children to have a chance at the American Dream influences students to choose certain career paths that they are not passionate about or even proficient at. Not only are Asian American students more prone to "elevated levels of depression", they also shy away from seeking help. This is due to the cultural reproach of mental illnesses and seeking professional help. 

I resonated with this article because I feel like it examines phenomena that I continually struggle with in my daily life as well. In Asian cultures, there is such a stigma against wanting therapy and counseling, so if a person actually needs professional advice, it's often viewed as a negative thing. We are taught to deal with our feelings on our own, or to simply internalize them and act like nothing's wrong. This traditional way of thinking about mental illnesses can hurt Asian American students and push them to drastic actions such as self-harm or even suicide. I believe that this is an aspect of Asian American culture that we, as a young generation, should strive to change. We need to have an open dialogue about mental illness and set the tone that it is acceptable to talk about negative emotions and feelings. 

Question: What is it about Asian cultures that makes them stigmatize mental illness, therapy, and all topics relating to that? 

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/

Susan Seligson. Videos by Bill Politis. (n.d.). Retrieved May 06, 2017, from https://www.bu.edu/today/2015/model-minority-pressures-take-mental-health-toll/

Week 6

Gabriela Garcia-Mejia

Section A03

Week 6

Most of the readings this week discuss the imposed western views on mental illness and the stigmatization among Asian Americans. Ethan Watters’ piece titled The Americanization of Mental Illness stood out to me because it provided a nontraditional view on the western approach to mental health and how even though the purpose of it is to help it actually can end up doing more damage. Watters mentioned a study that was done where people had to teach someone else a learning task. That person stated that they had a mental illness. Some said that it was due to a chemical imbalance and others said that it was due to something that happened in their childhood. Those that said it was due to an event that occurred as a kid received lighter shocks than the other group. This showed that there is a negative impact from the western view. I think this goes back to the fact that American society is very individualistic and therefore if someone has a mental condition we are quick to assume that it was because of something in their brain that “snapped” it causes people to become less empathetic and even isolate the person.

I really connected to his description on the views on schizophrenia by people in developed vs. underdeveloped nations because my cousin in Mexico has schizophrenia. She was diagnosed over 10 years ago so it was not something that was as well-known or talked about at that time. When she started exhibiting odd behavior I remember my mom telling my aunt that maybe she was stressed and maybe it was due to all that emotions she had bottled up over the years because she had lived a troubled childhood. At one point they even suggested taking her to a shaman for a cleanse. Overall I think that the strong and unconditional familial support that she received allowed her to receive the medical help necessary and she went on to finish her degree.

Mental well-being is a balance between mind, body and spirit and I think that to undermine the emotional and cultural aspect of someone’s mental health is to undermine them as a person.

Question: Why do we feel entitled to push our Western views onto others yet we aren’t willing to understand other cultures’ views on mental health?

Resources:

Watters, E. (2010, January 8). The Americanization of Mental Illness. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/magazine/10psyche-t.html

[Photograph found in SchizLife]. (2016, December 21). Retrieved May 5, 2017, from http://www.schizlife.com/schizophrenia-overview/