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Why Asian Parents Don’t Talk About Mental Health (and How to Heal From It) (nextshark.com)

 

"For many Asian Americans, talking about mental health issues, especially to their parents, is like pulling teeth. Asian Americans are actually three times less likely to seek mental health services than other Americans, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Anxiety, depression, and mental health issues aren’t really topics discussed in Asian households and are considered taboo. Often times, we are told to “get over it” and “we had it so much worse than you, you should be grateful.”"

"Cultural differences are the root cause for many Asian parents’ lack of understanding and sympathy towards their children’s mental health concerns. Infamously known as “tiger parents,” parents from Asia are thought to be abnormally strict towards their offspring, speak to them harshly, and punish them if they are anything less than perfect. In 2010, a Vietnamese-Canadian student was sentenced to life in prison for hiring hitmen to murder her own parents as a result of her traumatically strict upbringing."

"Another reason that Asian parents may not be supportive of their children’s mental health issues is that many Asian cultures simply don’t believe that they exist. Mental health is very much a Western concept with much of its development and theories originating in Western countries. In Asian cultures, it is a black and white concept. Feeling sadness and hopelessness is believed to be one’s own fault for not trying hard enough. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues do not hold the same significance in other cultures as it does in Western societies."

 

To read Leanna Chan's full article, click: https://nextshark.com/asian-pa...QvWJTqV2h29NWgvvjh_o

 

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