Research shows that most Asian Americans find accessing mental health services difficult due to language barriers. 1 in 2 Asian Americans suffering from mental illnesses do not seek help due to such barriers (American Psychological Association,  2017). For some of them, the guilt and shame of not being able to speak their native language can lead to difficulty speaking out about their mental challenges (Mental Health America [MHA]).

 

35 percent of Asian American families are not fluent in English, and 77 percent of families speak a non-English language at home (Kwon et al., 2018). As for Asian American individuals, 32.6 percent of them don’t speak English fluently, and consequently, find it difficult to find healthcare and other services (MHA). For example, 57 percent of Cambodian women find it difficult to receive medical care due to language barriers and the lack of interpreters (Lee et al., 2010). In an interview with a high school student, they shared their experiences with a mental health illness and how difficult it was to convey what they were going through, due to this language barrier. They stated,

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“With my broken Vietnamese, I couldn’t properly explain to her what I was going through. I was scared of making her and other relatives worried”

- (FT, Personal Communication, July 14th, 2020)

 

Later generations of Asian Americans often drift away from their mother tongues and develop a greater fluency for English. Older generations of Asian Americans and Asian immigrants, on the other hand, tend to be more fluent in their mother tongue, rather than English. The differences in fluencies can restrict individuals from receiving help in the Asian American community.

 

Research shows that prolific fluency in English is correlated with an increased likelihood of using mental health services. At the same time, the odds of Asian Americans who don’t speak English receiving services from healthcare professionals who only speak English were significantly lowered. Additionally, limited English proficiency, in general, decreased the odds of using mental health services (Ohtani et al., 2015). Furthermore, even primary care providers that are bilingual are often unfamiliar with the appropriate terminology and can deter patients from receiving treatment (Chung, 2002). According to health care worker Tiffany Ho, Asian American immigrants may not find “a lot of people who speak their language”. She further explains that they may have “a lot of fear that they won’t understand ‘American people’, and they won’t understand us. They will give us the wrong advice or will overdose us on medication."

The idea that hardly anybody speaks a similar language can make the process of seeking health care services intimidating, resulting in a lower number of people receiving proper treatment for their mental health.