by: Siddarth Suresh

The world we live in today is unlike that any previous generation has seen, and we, as a society, face more nuanced challenges than ever before. This chilling reality is reflected in the mental state of teenagers with “1 in every 7 [youth] experiencing a mental disorder globally” (World Health Organization). This mental health pandemic has only been exacerbated in members of ethnic minorities due to a variety of factors including systemic barriers and lack of cultural understanding.

These struggles aren’t unique to today’s world, however. Throughout American history, the AAPI community has also faced struggles like these. For example, on the grounds of his Asian heritage, an American citizen was denied reentry to the United States, which was subsequently voided in a 1920 Supreme Court case (US vs. Wong). This case opened up birthright citizenship up to those of all races and was a landmark ruling in overcoming systematic barriers based on ethnicity.

Yet, the AAPI community was and is still plagued by cultural discrimination and misunderstanding from others. For instance, after the September 11^th attacks, members of the South Asian community were mercilessly targeted in various American spaces, simply based off of preexisting notions about the color of their skin. These frightening sentiments carried forward into the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, when again the businesses targeted were outspoken about their Asian identity.

Furthermore, anti-AAPI sentiment doesn’t just live in violence; it also exists in supposedly harmless stereotypes. For example, a commonly-used stereotype about Asian Americans is that they are good at math. Though this may seem neutral or even positive on the surface, it reinforces the harmful notion that Asian Americans are a monolith and disregards the fact that every Asian American is an individual with unique life experiences and goals. As Palestinian-American IA teacher Ms. Taha put it, “Stereotyping really harms the AAPI community and enables people to view us a group rather than as individuals.”

These sentiments and stereotyping also have real-world effects on AAPI mental health. For example, though Asian-Americans are viewed as this “model minority,” mental health issues are exacerbating in the community, especially in the younger generations, with “serious mental health rising from 2.9% in 2008 to 5.6% in 2018,” (Mental Health America). Additionally, AAPI adults are the most likely to remain silent about their mental health struggles, considering that they are “3 times less likely than their white counterparts” to seek mental health services. When discussing the silence of AAPI members on their mental health, Indian-American IA student Srishti Sawant (11) reflected that “being silent has not only become a cultural marker but an expectation of the path to success.”

Ultimately, if you’re struggling with your mental health, know that you are not alone. Talk to a trusted adult, a resource, or anyone that’s willing to lend a listening ear. As a member of the community, it may seem hard right now, but you will find your place. There are resources available below for those who may need them.

• Call or text 988
• Chat at 988lifeline.org
• Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
• Asian Mental Health Collective
• Asian Mental Health Project
• National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association