It is pretty tough to live as an Asian-American. I say this because not only do you have to live up to your parent's high expectations, but you also have to fight against negative stereotypes of Asians in society. To further compound the problem, it is even tougher to be Asian when you throw mental illness into the mix. The reason I say this is because mental illness is still very much a taboo that is hardly ever talked about in traditional Asian cultures. As a half-Asian man who grew up with his Chinese mother, who had Schizoaffective Disorder, I have personally witnessed how hard it is for an Asian who experiences mental health struggles. As a matter of fact, even I have my own struggles with Schizoaffective Disorder too. For this reason, I feel like I understand my mother better than most people did in her life. I understand the shame that there is to be an Asian who has to take mental illness medication. I understand what it is like to be an Asian who cannot talk about their mental health struggles and so we end up bottling everything up until we finally explode. It is no surprise that in China the suicide rate for 15-24-year-olds was about 6.8% per year between the years 2010-2017, but then by 2021, the suicide rate went up to 19.6%. This is not surprising because when you grow up in a culture that suppresses all talk about mental health, young people inevitably have no outlet to express themselves, and thus there are devastating effects. But, what are the reasons why Asians do not talk about mental health? I shall discuss some of these reasons in this blog. Afterward, I will talk about what the resolution for this problem is. The purpose of this blog is to help get a conversation about mental illness to get started in Asian homes. As someone who dealt with a mother who refused to get her illnesses taken care of, I know firsthand how ignoring mental health can destroy one's mind and life.
Shame-Based Society
A lot of Asian communities and households operate on a shame-based ideology. What I mean by this is that in a lot of Asian communities and households, Asian people believe in behaving in a certain dignified way that does not bring shame to the family. It is for this reason that you will rarely see an Asian acting a fool in public. Shame to the family is sort of like blasphemy in many Asian communities. It is for this reason that mental illness is swept under the rug. Many Asian households do not want to admit that they have a mentally ill loved one because they are afraid that it will bring shame and dishonor to their family. Many traditional Asian households will readily admit to having a criminal in their family before they will admit to having a mentally ill person. A lot of traditional Asian households, especially the more Buddhist ones, tend to see mental illness as the result of one's Karma because they lived a horrible past life. As a result of this belief, it is not difficult to see why a lot of Asians tend to think someone with mental illness deserves their plight and deserves to be treated as if they are a social pariah.
Proud & Hard Working
In many traditional Asian communities, we are very hard-working in our societies. As a result of this, we tend to be very proud of our accomplishments. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. After all, one should be proud of what they accomplished in life. However, in many traditional Asian communities, the pride we feel often is a facade'. I say this because our pride masks anything bad we may be experiencing, such as mental illness. Asians are not allowed to express if they are having a bad mental health day. We are expected to be stoic and not show any emotion so that we can excel at whatever we put our minds to. I remember many times when my mother would slap me in the face whenever I would allow my emotions to get the better of me. A lot of Asian communities frown upon a man showing emotion, whether in public or in private, while it is only looked down upon when a woman shows emotion in public. As a result, I learned from a very young age to not express my emotions openly.
Model Minority Myth
I believe that the so-called "Model Minority Myth" has been very detrimental for any Asian, like myself, who struggles with mental illness. What exactly is the Model Minority Myth? According to learningforjustice.org, the Model Minority Myth is,
"based on stereotypes. It perpetuates the stereotypes in which Asian-American children are whiz kids or musical geniuses. Within the myth of the model minority, Tiger moms force children to work harder and be better than everyone else, while nerdy, effeminate dads hold prestigious- but not leadership-- positions in STEM industries like medicine or accounting"
It is because of this myth that I have felt like I was an outcast within Asian circles. While I had a lot of Asian friends, I always felt like they were somehow better than me, and that they could never know about my mental illness. I felt if they knew about that, then they would completely shun me because I would be seen as a "freak of nature". As a result, I kept my mental illness a secret for a very long time, and it literally ate a hole in my soul. I was always afraid of being found out by my friends and this caused me to resort to all kinds of tactics to keep my mental illness covered up.
So, what can we do about this problem within the Asian community? I actually have three solutions, but they are not going to be easy, nor will they be fun. However, if we are going to put an end to the stigmatization of mental illness within Asian communities, then the hard work must be done. I will say that the following is not a comprehensive list because obviously there is much more we can do to eliminate stigma in Asian circles. But, if we can follow these three steps, then it will go a long way in ending the stigma.
Raise Awareness
This first step actually may sound like a scary one. I understand how it could be tough to be the only one in your family talking about your own mental health struggles. However, I have learned that when you open the conversation, you will find many other people who are experiencing something similar. Most people keep their mental health struggles to themselves because they think that they are alone. But, if you start talking about your own struggles, then others will begin opening up about their struggles. As a result of all this opening up to one another, we will no longer feel like social pariahs within our own communities anymore because we will realize that there are other people just like us.
Educate Yourself
This second step is a little more difficult because it requires you to do a whole lot of studying. However, if we are going to be excellent advocates for mental health, then we have to know the ins and outs of mental illness. The more that you know, the easier it will be for you to answer your family and friend's questions concerning mental illness. Also, the more you know, the more credible you seem. I recommend two YouTube channels to look up to get you started on your journey toward educating yourself on mental health: Living Well With Schizophrenia and Polar Warriors. Both of these channels are excellent sources to go to to learn about Schizophrenia and Bipolar.
Do Not Hide Your Feelings
I know this one might be the toughest step of all because so many of us were raised to not express emotion, but that is why this is the most important step of all. For us to break the stigma, we must intentionally go against the grain. This means that if you feel like crying in public, do not be afraid to do so. If you feel like shouting out of anger in public, then do that. Do not be scared of the stares and disapproving looks that you will receive. If Asians in our communities see other Asians expressing themselves freely then maybe they will realize that it is normal to feel frustrated or sad. Then, maybe that will free them to openly express their own emotions that they have bottled up on the inside.
I hope that this blog helps you better understand what it is like to be an Asian person who deals with mental illness. If you fall under this category, please know that you are not alone. Many of us are in the same exact boat as you. I understand the shame you must be feeling as a result of your own mental health struggles, but you do not need to feel shame because what you are experiencing is perfectly normal. I hope that this blog has been an encouragement for you and thank you for taking the time to read this. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
Shame-Based Society
A lot of Asian communities and households operate on a shame-based ideology. What I mean by this is that in a lot of Asian communities and households, Asian people believe in behaving in a certain dignified way that does not bring shame to the family. It is for this reason that you will rarely see an Asian acting a fool in public. Shame to the family is sort of like blasphemy in many Asian communities. It is for this reason that mental illness is swept under the rug. Many Asian households do not want to admit that they have a mentally ill loved one because they are afraid that it will bring shame and dishonor to their family. Many traditional Asian households will readily admit to having a criminal in their family before they will admit to having a mentally ill person. A lot of traditional Asian households, especially the more Buddhist ones, tend to see mental illness as the result of one's Karma because they lived a horrible past life. As a result of this belief, it is not difficult to see why a lot of Asians tend to think someone with mental illness deserves their plight and deserves to be treated as if they are a social pariah.
Proud & Hard Working
In many traditional Asian communities, we are very hard-working in our societies. As a result of this, we tend to be very proud of our accomplishments. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. After all, one should be proud of what they accomplished in life. However, in many traditional Asian communities, the pride we feel often is a facade'. I say this because our pride masks anything bad we may be experiencing, such as mental illness. Asians are not allowed to express if they are having a bad mental health day. We are expected to be stoic and not show any emotion so that we can excel at whatever we put our minds to. I remember many times when my mother would slap me in the face whenever I would allow my emotions to get the better of me. A lot of Asian communities frown upon a man showing emotion, whether in public or in private, while it is only looked down upon when a woman shows emotion in public. As a result, I learned from a very young age to not express my emotions openly.
Model Minority Myth
I believe that the so-called "Model Minority Myth" has been very detrimental for any Asian, like myself, who struggles with mental illness. What exactly is the Model Minority Myth? According to learningforjustice.org, the Model Minority Myth is,
"based on stereotypes. It perpetuates the stereotypes in which Asian-American children are whiz kids or musical geniuses. Within the myth of the model minority, Tiger moms force children to work harder and be better than everyone else, while nerdy, effeminate dads hold prestigious- but not leadership-- positions in STEM industries like medicine or accounting"
It is because of this myth that I have felt like I was an outcast within Asian circles. While I had a lot of Asian friends, I always felt like they were somehow better than me, and that they could never know about my mental illness. I felt if they knew about that, then they would completely shun me because I would be seen as a "freak of nature". As a result, I kept my mental illness a secret for a very long time, and it literally ate a hole in my soul. I was always afraid of being found out by my friends and this caused me to resort to all kinds of tactics to keep my mental illness covered up.
So, what can we do about this problem within the Asian community? I actually have three solutions, but they are not going to be easy, nor will they be fun. However, if we are going to put an end to the stigmatization of mental illness within Asian communities, then the hard work must be done. I will say that the following is not a comprehensive list because obviously there is much more we can do to eliminate stigma in Asian circles. But, if we can follow these three steps, then it will go a long way in ending the stigma.
Raise Awareness
This first step actually may sound like a scary one. I understand how it could be tough to be the only one in your family talking about your own mental health struggles. However, I have learned that when you open the conversation, you will find many other people who are experiencing something similar. Most people keep their mental health struggles to themselves because they think that they are alone. But, if you start talking about your own struggles, then others will begin opening up about their struggles. As a result of all this opening up to one another, we will no longer feel like social pariahs within our own communities anymore because we will realize that there are other people just like us.
Educate Yourself
This second step is a little more difficult because it requires you to do a whole lot of studying. However, if we are going to be excellent advocates for mental health, then we have to know the ins and outs of mental illness. The more that you know, the easier it will be for you to answer your family and friend's questions concerning mental illness. Also, the more you know, the more credible you seem. I recommend two YouTube channels to look up to get you started on your journey toward educating yourself on mental health: Living Well With Schizophrenia and Polar Warriors. Both of these channels are excellent sources to go to to learn about Schizophrenia and Bipolar.
Do Not Hide Your Feelings
I know this one might be the toughest step of all because so many of us were raised to not express emotion, but that is why this is the most important step of all. For us to break the stigma, we must intentionally go against the grain. This means that if you feel like crying in public, do not be afraid to do so. If you feel like shouting out of anger in public, then do that. Do not be scared of the stares and disapproving looks that you will receive. If Asians in our communities see other Asians expressing themselves freely then maybe they will realize that it is normal to feel frustrated or sad. Then, maybe that will free them to openly express their own emotions that they have bottled up on the inside.
I hope that this blog helps you better understand what it is like to be an Asian person who deals with mental illness. If you fall under this category, please know that you are not alone. Many of us are in the same exact boat as you. I understand the shame you must be feeling as a result of your own mental health struggles, but you do not need to feel shame because what you are experiencing is perfectly normal. I hope that this blog has been an encouragement for you and thank you for taking the time to read this. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
No comments:
Post a Comment