It impacts how we think, feel, act, make choices in our lives.
And it impacts how we treat those around us as well. Regarded as the “model minority,” the Asian American community is often overlooked for its mental health needs. In many Asian cultures, family is the most important to a person. It’s arguable to say that it’s considered taboo for people to discuss matters around mental health because of the fear that it might bring shame to their families. As a result, Korean Americans (and Asian Americans overall) tend to dismiss or neglect their symptoms and keep them hidden.
Korean Americans’ rate of depression is reportedly 2x higher than the general U.S. population.
Depression among Korean Americans also ranks the highest out of all Eastern Asian Americans. While there are other factors, this statistic could explain why the rate of suicide by Korean-Americans has grown 4x faster than the growth of the overall Korean-American population. A recent meta-analysis reported that the pooled prevalence of depression for Korean American people was nearly 33%. With almost 2 million Korean Americans in the United States, that means more than half a million people could quietly be struggling with mental health issues.
Due to social stigma, language and cultural barriers, and lack of awareness of mental health in the community, Asian Americans are reported to be a part of the least-seeking ethnic group when it comes to asking for professional help.
But studies show 2 protective factors can eliminate the risk of suicide:
1.
Strong ethnic group identification
2. Family cohesion and parental support
So we’re fighting to make this a reality.
Mustard Seed Generation educates families, equips community leaders, and empowers local health professionals.
We create bilingual and bicultural spaces that are uniquely designed for Korean American families so that parents and children can have a safe space to share their stories. We hold conferences, workshops, trainings, and summits that allows people to discuss different generational experiences, unknown stressors on immigrant families, as well as practice different communication skills needed to foster healthy relationships between parents and children.
