Mental Health Stigma:
The Vietnamese-American Outlook
Notable studies in recent years reveal that 17.3% of Asian-Americans experience psychiatric disease in their lifetime, compared to 46.4% of the general U.S. population. Meanwhile, only 8.6% of Asian-Americans have sought mental health resources, in contrast to 18% of the general U.S. population. The primary explanation for this discrepancy is a lack of utilization of resources due to familial/cultural misunderstanding of what having a mental health disorder entails & the pressures of preserving public appearances. Existing research has focused mainly on general studies concerning Asian-Americans and how they've dealt with mental health problems; however, this neglects the significant particularities unique to the Vietnamese-American community. My SURE project helps to fill a certain void by focusing on the Vietnamese community in San Diego. Data from my interviews helped assess the degree of mental health stigma prevalent in each generational group & account for how strict cultural beliefs and language barriers impede many Vietnamese-Americans' efforts to seek medical help. The findings from these interviews elucidate the links between differing generational mindsets, varying levels of receptiveness to Western medicine, & minimal "culturally responsive modes of mental health care" to the lack of mental health assistance sought by the Vietnamese community.