Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) are an integral part of the American cultural mosaic, encompassing a wide range of diversity. AANHPI communities consist of approximately 50 distinct ethnic groups speaking over 100 languages, with connections to Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Hawaiian, and other Asian and Pacific Islander ancestries.
As of the 2020 Census, 24 million people identified as Asian and 1.6 million identified as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, either as their only identity or in combination with another identity.
Ethnic and communal identity is considered a notable protective mental health factor for many AANHPIs. The sense of communal identity, connections, belonging and family bonds is a strong predictor of resilience while facing life’s challenges. Studies have shown that a strong sense of ethnic identity is linked to lower suicide risks and predicts higher resilience in the face of racial discrimination, which is, unfortunately, an issue for many in this population.
On the other hand, second-generation AANHPI immigrants may face challenges in their cultural identity, struggling to balance their familial ties to traditional cultural values with the pressure to assimilate to mainstream American society. Additionally, an emphasis on community identity can create a strong burden of expectations, which may increase stigma and shame if a person doesn’t meet those expectations.
Compared to those of other racial/ethnic backgrounds, Asian americans are least likely to receive mental health treatment – only 20.8% of Asian adults with a mental illness received treatment in 2020. There are many systemic barriers to accessing mental health care and quality treatment for Asian Americans, which are exacerbated by stigma and a lack of culturally relevant and integrated care. These disparities can lead to worsened symptoms and poorer quality of life if treatment is unavailable or delayed.
Language Barriers
As immigration is a primary driver of AANHPI population growth within the United States, many AANHPI do not speak English as their primary language. 30.9% of Asian Americans do not consider themselves fluent in English, and rates of English language proficiency vary depending on nation of origin. Additionally, 60% of AANHPIs aged 65 years and older have limited English proficiency. Language barriers and limited availability of culturally appropriate mental health service providers may prevent people from getting the care they need.
Stigma and Shame
Compared to those with other racial/ethnic identities, AANHPIs are more likely to report that they did not receive mental health treatment because they:
Lack of understanding about mental illness and stigma associated with mental health issues can lead to denial or neglect of mental health problems, especially among first-generation AANHPI immigrants. The notions of shame and “loss of face” is an important factor in understanding low use of services among AANHPI people.
Mental illness has often been considered a weakness or a sign of poor parenting, and a source of shame not only to the individual, but also to the entire household. The desire to protect the family’s reputation can often discourage help-seeking until there is a crisis.
The Model Minority Myth
Asian American communities are burdened with the “model minority” stereotype, a prevalent and misleading assumption that depicts AANHPIs as uniformly well-adjusted, attaining more socioeconomic success than other minority groups through strong work ethic, conforming to social norms and excelling academically. The fact is the AANHPI community is highly diverse across subgroups in rates of socioeconomic, health and mental health challenges. The social and familial pressure created by this deceptive stereotype can prevent community members from seeking mental health care.
Insufficient Health Insurance Coverage
Concerns over the high cost of mental health care also lead to lower rates in help-seeking and treatment adherence. Some groups within the AANHPI community face disparities in coverage — Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) populations have a higher uninsured rate of 13.0% , compared to 7.0% for Asian American communities in 2019.
Immigration Status
Some AANHPI immigrants may not seek necessary mental health care due to fears of jeopardizing their immigration status or citizenship application process.
Faith and Spirituality
Faith and spirituality have important influences on mental health, especially for the AANHPI community where religious diversity is a distinct characteristic, and more people identify as Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims or other religious affiliations compared to the U.S. average.
Faith communities often offer a built-in social support system. However, religious communities may perpetuate stigma around mental illness that can delay treatment. For example, characterizing mental illness as divine punishment, bad karma, disturbed flow of life energy or imbalance of basic elements inside the body. This is especially true for AANHPI families who turn to their religious leaders first for mental health support.
Alternatives to Treatment
Traditional medicine or indigenous healing practices, which often emphasize the integration of mind and body in maintaining health and promoting healing, remain popular forms of mental health intervention in some AANHPI communities. These practices include, but are not limited to:
Some AANHPIs, especially first-generation immigrants, consider traditional/non-western medicine their primary treatment rather than a complementary treatment. This can result in delaying or refraining from seeking mental health care.
Challenges in Research
Insufficient research on AANHPI communities often leads to an inaccurate picture of the experience and needs of these communities. Due to the broad diversity of the community overall, and the relatively small population size of specific cultural subgroups, it can be challenging to obtain adequate samples or to generalize the needs of this population.
Despite these challenges, researchers and clinicians have made progress recently in bridging the gap of quality treatment by exploring culturally relevant interventions for AANHPI people. An example is the first NIH-funded study that tested a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) adapted for recent Asian American immigrants seeking psychotherapy.
Culturally competent providers understand each person’s values, experiences and personal beliefs, and strive to provide services that support their goals and are aligned with their cultural values. When a person is struggling with their mental health, it is essential to receive quality and culturally competent care in order to improve outcomes.
Given the vast diversity of AANHPI groups, culturally competent providers for these communities often show a strong desire to establish a trust-based therapeutic relationship with the individuals they are treating through effective listening and willingness to learn. They may understand and work with individuals to address concerns over medication, such as fear of side effects. A culturally competent provider may also demonstrate knowledge and acknowledgement of “cultural bound syndromes,” such as:
While we recommend seeking help from a mental health professional, a primary care professional can be a great place to start for an initial assessment or to get a referral for a recommended mental health professional.
When meeting with a provider, ask questions to get a sense of their level of cultural sensitivity. Providers expect and welcome questions from their patients since this helps them better understand what is important in their treatment. Here are some questions to ask:
Whether you seek help from a primary care professional or a mental health professional, you should finish your sessions with health professionals feeling heard and respected. You may want to ask yourself:
The relationship and communication between a person and their mental health provider is a key aspect of treatment. It’s very important that a person feels their identity is understood by their provider to receive the best possible support and care.
More Information
NAMI Family & Friends
A free 90-minute or four-hour seminar, with an e-book available in three Asian languages: Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
NAMI In Our Own Voice
A stigma-busting presentation providing a model that facilitates highly individualized accounts of lived experience of mental health conditions. This video features program leaders from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.
NAMI Family-to-Family
An 8-week psychoeducation program for families and friends. A Chinese translation with cultural adaptations will be available in 2021, with online classes offered by NAMI Affiliates in a limited number of states, including California and New Jersey.
NAMI Support Groups
Peer-led and offers participants an opportunity to share their experiences and gain support from other attendees. Culturally sensitive groups are offered by NAMI Affiliates in a limited number of states, including California and New Jersey.
NAMI Blog — AANHPI related posts
Where voices from diverse communities are heard on various topics.
Please note: The resources included here are not endorsed by NAMI, and NAMI is not responsible for the content of or service provided by any of these resources.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) — Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders
ADAA is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and co-occurring disorders through education, practice and research. It has a dedicated webpage on AANHPI resources and research information.
Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI)
AAHI is a health and wellness initiative of Maryland’s Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. Its website is available in four Asian languages: Traditional Chinese, Hindi, Korean and Vietnamese.
Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)
AAPA is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization of Asian American mental health professionals, with the mission of advancing the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities through research, professional practice, education and policy.
Asian Mental Health Collective
A new global non-profit organization with the mission of normalizing and de-stigmatizing mental health within the Asian community through projects such as Facebook group, resource library, video web-series and meet-up groups.
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)
Founded in 1986, APIAHF influences policy, mobilizes communities, and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
Asian Pride Project
Asian Pride Project is a nonprofit organization that celebrates the journeys, triumphs and struggles of LGBTQ individuals and Asian and Pacific Islander (API) families and communities through the use of arts — film, video, photography and the written word — as a medium for social justice and advocacy.
Chinese-American Family Alliance for Mental Health (CAFAMH)
CAFAMH is a NYC-based nonprofit organization that seeks to promote self-empowerment and mutual support among Chinese-American caregivers of individuals with mental illness by providing a safe space for family support group meetings.
Chinese-American Sunshine House
A non-profit organization based in Brooklyn that provides awareness programming and education workshops to Chinese-American families.
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA)
CAA advocates for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial and social injustice.
Each Mind Matters
Mental health support guide for Chinese-American communities.
GAPIMNY
Empowering queer and trans Asian Pacific Islanders.
Mental Health America
Asian American/Pacific Islander communities and mental health.
Mental Health Association for Chinese Communities (MHACC)
MHACC is a California-based nonprofit organization with a mission of raising awareness of mental health within the Chinese community through advocacy, education, research and support.
MedlinePlus
MedlinePlus is a free service provided by the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health which presents high-quality, relevant health and wellness information in multiple languages, including about 20 AANHPI languages.
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)
NAAPIMHA is a nonprofit organization with the mission of promoting the mental health and wellbeing of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)
NQAPIA is a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations
Psychology Today
Psychology Today’s directory provides a comprehensive and searchable directory of therapists, psychiatrists and treatment facilities across the U.S. and includes a directory of Asian therapists.
Viet-Care
A California-based nonprofit organization providing mental health education, support and advocacy to Vietnamese-American families.
Letters to Strangers
A global youth-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit seeking to destigmatize mental illness and increase access to affordable, quality treatment for youth aged 13 to 24. Its founder, Diana Chao, and her team of youth advocate leaders represent diverse communities and contribute to the awareness of and advocacy for Asian American youth mental health. Download their Youth-for-Youth Mental Health Guidebook (free digital B&W version) for more in-depth statistics and narratives on AAPI communities.
NAMI HelpLine is available M-F, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Call 800-950-6264,
text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).
