The Rise In anti-Asian Hate Crimes Has Led To A Mental Health Crisis

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The Rise In anti-Asian Hate Crimes Has Led To A Mental Health Crisis
Thursday, April 28, 2022 by Renee D. Warring

The Rise In anti-Asian Hate Crimes Has Led To A Mental Health Crisis

Tang a thirty-one year old Chinese man got on a subway train in New York when a white male spat on him while accusing Tang of being responsible for bringing COVID-19 to America from China. The man shouted, “Go back to China.” This is one example of countess violent assaults on Asian Americans that has taken place during the pandemic.

The advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate, (Asian American and Pacific Islander), said it has received almost 3,000 reports of incidents of aggression targeting AAPI people between March and December of 2020. The elderly and women were disproportionately attacked.

Growing amounts of studies show that the aggressions against these groups of people results in proliferation of mental health problems among the said populations.

A study published in Ethnic and Racial Studies found that Asian Americans who encountered COVID related aggression experienced higher levels of anxiety and depression. Upon the review of 121 studies found that youth who experienced discrimination were more likely to develop mental health problems.

“We know that when an individual experiences racial trauma, it can lead to a host of mental issues- increased anxiety, depression, trouble eating and sleeping,” Joo Han, Deputy Director of The Asian American Federation, told ABC News.

Russell Jeung, Co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, said that many victims “are now displaying signs of racial trauma, where they have the long term affects of depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms.”

Even before the pandemic, Asian Americans had one of the highest rates of the occurrence of mental health problems such as depression and suicide, and were less likely to seek treatment compared to other groups of people.

“The mental health toll that Asian Americans have always had to live with is one of invisibility,” said Sherry Wang, an associate professor in the Counseling Psychology Department at Santa Clara University, ‘Like colorblindness-not really seeing Asian Americans as people of color who struggle with issues of racism, poverty and health inequities.”

Experts have said Asian Americans are partly held back by the “model minority” myth, which stereotypes them as a compliant group that’s upwardly mobile and not in need of extra help or attention.

“The model minority myth continues to be a challenge—despite the fact that Asian Americans are the poorest group in New York City” with about 1 in 4 living in poverty, Han noted, adding that only about 1.4% of the city’s social service contracts are for nonprofits serving Asian Americans even though they make up 16% of the population (5.6% nationally).

Unemployment has been skyrocketing in the Asian American population, which is another factor which has caused a sharp increase in mental health problems. According to the Asian American Federation. Another factor which has caused the sharp increase is the fact that the people of the business community are struggling to stay in business.

The people need to keep calling their elected officials and financers to insist that they invest in culturally competent mental health services for the individuals, and families of their communities.

RESOURCES:

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/rise-anti-asian-american-hate-crimes-lead-mental/story?id=76211964

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