Mental Health Issues in the Asian-Pacific Islander Community
The Asian Pacific Islander (API) community in the United States, with its diverse heritage tracing back to various regions such as Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji, is a vibrant and significant part of American society. However, a growing concern has emerged regarding the mental health of this community.
A study by Dr. Janice Tsoh in 2021 revealed that nearly 16% of API adults have experienced a mental health condition within the previous year, and around 3.5% of API adults had a major depressive episode during the same period. These numbers are concerning, especially when compared to the general population.
The Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) community, a subgroup of the API population, has seen a surge in recent years, with the 2010 Census marking over 1 million NHPIs in the United States. However, NHPIs appear to be less likely than non-Hispanic white people to live with serious psychological distress, experience a mental health episode, or report a diagnosed disorder. This could be due to factors such as NHPIs being three times less likely to seek mental health treatment and the lack of research funding and data on NHPI-specific mental health issues.
The API community faces several barriers to mental health care. These include stigma, immigration status, religion and spirituality, difficulty getting health insurance, cultural health practices, acculturation, discrimination, lack of culturally competent care, media stereotypes, and performance pressure.
Physician and life coach Dr. Cindy Tsai identifies people-pleasing tendencies, low self-esteem, enmeshed family dynamics, poor boundaries, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as potential mental health issues in the API community, linked to the emphasis on excellence, education, and achievement in Asian culture.
Suicide is a significant issue within the API community. It was the leading cause of death among APIs ages 15-24, and APIs were three times less likely than non-Hispanic white people to receive prescription treatments or services for mental health.
In an effort to improve API mental health outcomes, it is suggested to increase API-focused mental health research, encourage NHPIs to pursue healthcare-oriented careers, reduce stigma around mental health care, create opportunities for culturally-relevant care in API communities, increase availability of job funding for API candidates, acknowledge the difficulties of grouping so many ethnicities under one umbrella term, improve accessibility of mental health care services through community centers and telehealth, and combine primary care with mental health care options.
For those seeking resources to support the API community, several organisations offer help. These include the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), GAPIMNY, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), Asian American Pacific Islander Women Lead (AAPI), National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA), and the National AA and NH/PI Health Response Partnership for COVID-19 support.
Marriage and family therapist Angela Wu cautions that since APIs only make up a relatively small population in the United States, it's difficult to estimate the prevalence of mental health conditions for this population. However, the growing concern for the mental health of the API community is clear, and efforts to address this issue are crucial.
