Asian American Mental Health

Pauline Ng

Ascend: A mental health service organization dedicated to serving Asian American College Students in the Southern California Area

Addressing the need

Major depression (MDD) among college students is a growing public health concern. It is estimated that 15% of the college student population in the United States struggle with depressive illnesses. Asian Americans represent one of the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the United States. However, compared to other ethnic groups, Asian Americans are much less likely to seek mental services. Only 8.6% of Asian Americans use mental health services. (Young)Among Asian Americans diagnosed with any depressive disorder, two out of three (69%) did not seek mental health treatment,

Regarding cultural barriers, the stigma surrounding mental illness result in placing mental health services as the last option. The Asian American community is often reluctant to talk or express feelings. The fear of losing respect and bringing dishonor to the family in all aspects of life is largely centered in Asian culture. The concept of losing face or bringing shame is a huge faux pas because it requires admitting the existence of a mental health problem. (Weng) Individual achievements are failures are reflected on the family. (Botha) Moreover, Asian Americans may experience pressures that derives from unrealistic parent expectations and the conflict between traditional and modern values. (Young) The goals of the individual are subordinate to goals of the family and they are expected to conform to stereotypic family

Target population

The target population is geared towards Asian Americans college students enrolled in the University of California system. The state of California has the second largest population of Asian American population, making up 13.4% of the state population. Southern California region is home to the second largest concentrations of Asian students in the country. One in ten students in the southern California region is of Asian descent. (Kusera) Asian American constitute more than 40% of the undergraduates at UCLA and Berkeley. (Brydolf)

Ascend directly targets several California communities are characterized as linguistically isolated meaning that they do not have anyone 14 years old or older who is fluent in English. For instance, in El Monte, a southern California city, half the Asian households are considered linguistically isolated. (Brydolf) Additionally, many Asian American UC students are first generation college students.

According to the CDC, Asian Americans ages 15-24 have significantly higher suicide rates than other groups. (Pong) Thus, targeting Asian American college students will be the most