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By Jennie L. Ilustre
Amid the pandemic and the rise of anti-racism, Congresswoman Judy Chu has introduced a resolution that will help promote national awareness of mental health issues unique to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community.
The resolution urges state and local health agencies across the nation to improve the quality and availability of mental health services for this population.
Congresswoman Chu (D, CA-27) underscored the need “to address the barriers and disparities that keep the AANHPI community from accessing quality health care, such as the need for translation services, or lack of access to health insurance.”
The resolution designates May 10 every year as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day.
Since 2010, May 10 has been recognized as AANHPI Mental Health Day in California, and the now the resolution makes it a federally recognized day as well.
Congresswoman Chu was joined by U.S. Congresswomen Doris Matsui (CA-06), Kai Kahele (HI-02), and Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) in introducing the resolution.
Congresswoman Strickland said the resolution would not only “raise awareness of the mental health care needs in our community, but also call for the federal support needed to reduce health disparities and barriers faced by AANHPIs.”
According to data collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), AANHPIs have the lowest help-seeking rate of any racial/ethnic group, with only 23.3% of AANHPI adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2019. It added that suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S., but it is the leading cause of death for Asian or Pacific Islander youth ages 15-24.
Disaggregated Data
Quyen Dinh, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), lauded the resolution: “The resolution acknowledges the diverse needs of our communities as we access meaningful mental health services, including the need for culturally and linguistically competent care, the importance of disaggregated data to reveal true health disparities, and the de-stigmatization of mental health in AANHPI communities.”
Aside from the challenges resulting from the pandemic and anti-racism, she pointed out that “Southeast Asian Americans (SEAAs) have unique traumas that stem from war, genocide, and displacement as a result of the Vietnam War, Secret War in Laos, and Khmer Rouge Genocide.”
She noted that this history has led to mental health disparities among SEAA communities, including higher levels of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder than the general public. She also cited a study that found 70% of Southeast Asian refugees in mental health treatment are diagnosed with PTSD,” or post-traumatic stress syndrome.
In an email, she acknowledged the role of the media in promoting mental health. “The media has an important role to play in advancing equity in mental health access for Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians (AANHPI),” she said.
“There is a model minority myth that everyone in the AANHPI communities is healthy, wealthy, and highly educated,” she added. “But we know from experience and from research that the more than 50 ethnicities and cultures represented under the AANHPI umbrella have diverse lived experiences.”
SEARAC is a national civil rights organization that empowers Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese American communities to create a socially just and equitable society. As representatives of the largest refugee community ever resettled in the nation, SEARAC “stands together with other refugee communities, communities of color, and social justice movements in pursuit of social equity.”
‘End the Stigma’
“Ending the stigma surrounding mental health care in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community is long overdue,” said Congresswoman Strickland, one of the resolution’s original co-sponsors. “The sickening rise in anti-Asian hate crimes has stressed our community and we need to prioritize the mental health and wellbeing of our friends, loved ones, and elders.”
Congressman Kahele pointed out when the resolution was introduced in the U.S. Congress: “Our communities struggle daily with mental health wellness at alarmingly disproportionate rates. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, specifically, are less likely to receive the mental health services they need, including access to prescription medications. Today, we recognize the need to support those who are most vulnerable and increase accessibility to mental health service providers for all communities.”
Congresswoman Matsui said, “Nearly all of us have a friend, family member, or loved one who lives with a mental illness. That is why it is critical that we continue to break down barriers to care and work to end the stigma in our communities.”
She added: “Especially over the past year, members of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities have been challenged by both the pandemic and the rise in anti-AAPI racism.”
The other original co-sponsors of the AANHPI Mental Health Day Resolution are U.S. Representatives Alan Lowenthal, Grace Napolitano, Mark Takano, Susie Lee, Adam Smith, and Grace Meng.
Language Services
Juliet K. Choi, president and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, noted: “AANHPI communities have some of the greatest mental health needs, but access to culturally competent and in-language services remain a barrier that has only been exasperated by the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and the surge in hate incidents.”
“Recognizing May 10th as National AANHPI Mental Health Awareness Day at this critical point in time creates a more equitable health care system that our communities deserve,” she stressed.
The resolution has also been endorsed by other community organizations, as follows: Richmond Area Multi-Services (RAMS), Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA), Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC).
