Feeling of Inferiority

 

In a study done through the California Well-Being Survey, researchers found that “Compared with whites, Asian-Americans were less likely to view individuals with mental health problems as being able to contribute much to society.” AAPIs with mental health problems were also “…more likely to feel inferior to those who have not had a mental illness” (Wong et al., 2016).

 

We can attribute this trend to the competitive environment that Asian-Americans grow up in. The constant comparison within Asian-American communities creates intense pressures for success.  In an interview, one student reported that,

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 "In [the Bay Area], students are expected to achieve and have skills that I find to be a bit on the unreasonable side. As a result, many students push themselves in ways that are damaging to their mental health (ex. taking 6 AP classes and being expected to have A's in the class as well as get 5's)." 

- (A.L., personal communication, July 8, 2020)

 

Many of the students we interviewed mentioned similar situations where they were stressed due to the heavy workload that they were expected to take in school, losing sleep and frequently breaking down. Another student said that, “Worrying about the future and pressure from others and myself is also a heavy burden on my mental health.” (K., personal communication, July 7, 2020). Along with the pressure to perform well in school, many students, especially those near high school or college graduation, had pressure about their future after. There were expectations from peers and family about higher education (getting into a “good school”) and jobs, further contributing to the stress that a student would have from their work.  As a result, a feeling of shame is often accompanied due to the near-impossible standards mental health problems.  In addition to this, mental health gains an image as a handicap preventing success as much as others.

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Feeling of Guilt

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Some AAPI members also believe that seeking professional help would be selfish. This opinion is especially prevalent in first and second-generation Asian Americans who have immigrant and refugee parents. Upon arriving in the US, many immigrants had to risk their lives to get a chance of a better life.

 Interviewed students described their parent’s perspectives on mental health as affected by mindsets such as,

 

“stress is considered normal, overworking is normal because you want to make your family proud,” “it was more about having food, getting into a good college, making money, etc,” “just bottle it up inside and [...] fight through it, because [...] that’s how their parents grew up.”

- (C., personal communication, July 8, 2020)

 

The children grow up with different priorities from their parents, and in a different environment.

Thus, there is a feeling of guilt when disclosing mental health issues that seem ‘insignificant.’  in comparison to stories about struggling for money, or riding a boat and crossing a mountain to go to school every day. Immigrant parents brought the values that they were taught from their home country to the United States. The children then face a cultural difference that can open a rift between them and their parents when attempting to discuss their mental health issues. 

 

One anonymous interviewee stated: “Compared to my parents’ hardships, it’s not a big issue. I question myself: ‘Is this a first world problem?’ It’s very insensitive” (Anonymous, personal communication, July 8, 2020).

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Case Study: The Model Minority Myth

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The model minority myth assumes that all AAPIs are wealthy, educated, and successful. This false image contributes to the existing pressure to conform to a ‘golden standard.’

A common idea brought up in interviews when discussing the model minority myth was “deviance.” One college student by the name of Jamie Won argued this response in how the MMM contributed to the stigma surrounding MH:

“'Deviance' is a neutral term that just denotes violation of social norms. An act of deviance can be positive, negative, or neutral. However, the collectivist culture present in many Asian societies has the tendency to view any form of deviance as negative. The model minority myth only contributes to the existing pressure to conform to a 'golden standard.'"

- (Jamie Won, personal communication, July 16, 2020) 

 

Both Asian culture and the model minority myth place an emphasis on upholding a “perfect image,” and straying from that image is viewed negatively. One student described mental illness as being a “stain,” and that “acknowledging that someone needs professional help can be viewed as an admission of fault and imperfection.” (I.R., personal communication, July 16, 2020)

Another common occurrence is the attempt to “hide failure,” which includes the aforementioned “admission of imperfection”; given that a person does deviate from the norm, a common response is to not acknowledge it to “save face.” One student described facing the problems as extra material for stigma, “You don’t want to be “that Asian” who went and did something out of the ordinary expectations of Asian behavior and set yourself apart...you don’t think that you need to get help, so you don’t seek out resources to understand yourself.” (Jonathan Wang, personal communication, July 9, 2020)

These obligations to perform well can become detrimental to mental health, but the model minority myth in general locks many Asian Americans into a situation where both having a mental health problem and trying to approach it are both stigmatized. 

For example, Mental Health America states how “biased and unrealistic standards set by families and society contributes to low self-esteem among Asian-American women” (Mental Health America, n.d.).