Silent Struggles

It’s a story that many of us share but rarely discuss openly: the silent struggle with mental health. Overall, Asian Americans are 50% less likely than other racial groups to seek mental health services. But how do we break through this barrier when many Asian cultures view mental health challenges as personal weaknesses, and discussing feelings of sadness, disappointment, or depression is seldom encouraged? We can easily gather a clear history of where hypertension came from—whether it was mom or dad, and the age a stroke occurred—but depression, anxiety, and insidious thoughts that plague our minds stay hidden in the shadows, pushed aside and unspoken.

The Pressure to Be "Good"

When I attended college at UC Irvine, often referred to as "UC Chinese Immigrants" due to its significant Asian American population, I found myself immersed in a sea of faces that looked like mine. Coming from the diverse melting pot of Houston, Texas, this was a culture shock for me. Yet, it was also the beginning of a journey into truly appreciating my heritage and understanding it for the first time. At UC Irvine, I quickly recognized a shared sentiment among many first-generation Asian American students: the immense pressure to be "good." We carried the weight of our parents' sacrifices—leaving behind everything they knew in their respective countries and enduring poverty so that we, their children, could have a better life. This "better life," free from the burdens our parents endured, came with its own set of silent struggles, often unspoken and unacknowledged by our families.

The Need for Mental Health Awareness

I myself have struggled with anxiety and depression all my life. I'm sure my two friends here are no strangers to the medical student prototype, as these feelings often manifest as drivers that further push us to achieve. The pressure to succeed and the unspoken struggles that come with it highlight the critical need for mental health awareness and support within our community. Our parents’ sacrifices were meant to ensure a better life for us, but they often couldn’t foresee the psychological burdens we would carry. It’s time to break the silence, to talk about the depression, anxiety, and insidious thoughts that we face, and to recognize that mental health is just as important as physical health.

Breaking the Cycle

So what can we do about it? How can we break the cycle? We talk. We share. We speak about these silent struggles so that they lose the power of shame, guilt, and secrecy. By normalizing conversations about mental health, we can create a culture of openness and support.