In many Asian cultures, mental illness is often considered a weakness, and a source of shame or burden to families and communities (American Psychiatric Association).  Because of this, seeking help from a health professional would be equivalent to bringing shame to one’s family through the acknowledgement that one’s symptoms are severe, jeopardizing future employment or marriage (Chung, 2002). Therefore, talking about mental health is considered taboo, and symptoms are often neglected or denied when they appear (Mental Health America [MHA]). Furthermore, one of the most important steps when seeing a professional health provider is to give personal information about oneself and one’s family. However, many members of Asian American communities prefer to keep information about their family problems secret since the disclosure of these problems would bring shame to their family (Leong & Lau, 2001). 

 

Many of our interviewees, including students, community members, healthcare professionals, and mental health organizations, emphasized that speaking on mental health issues is often frowned upon and almost unheard of in the Asian-American community. In particular, a significant number of students testified that they are taught to keep any issues (especially mental) to themselves or within their immediate family. One anonymous Chinese student testified,

“[...] many Asian parents believe that family problems are only family problems and should never be spoken of to others.”

- (Anonymous, personal communication, July 12, 2020)

 

When discussing how mental health is addressed within Asian-American families, another student interviewee explicitly stated that “[...] it ends up just turning into an argument within [their] family.” (Anonymous, personal communication, July 11, 2020) Clearly, secrecy regarding mental health problems is highly encouraged within the Asian-American community, and the discussion of these issues remains strictly prohibited by many.

 

Traditional Asian views of health do not separate the mind and the body, so patients who grow up under the influence of these views do not see the value of consulting a mental health professional separately (Chung, 2002). This is expanded upon in the "Spiritual + Cultural Beliefs" section.