Suicide rates among young Asian Americans have sharply increased over the last few years — and a few subgroups seem to be particularly vulnerable.
A new study points out that although suicide rates for Asian men have increased 72% and for women 125% over the past 25 years, certain Asian American minorities and Pacific Islander groups fare even worse. Vietnamese American youth, for example, face a particularly high risk.
On the surface, Asian American suicide rates might appear to be low in comparison to other groups, said study author Anthony Bui, who is a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Lumping all Asian American groups together doesn’t paint the whole picture.
Bui examined the suicide rates of Asian American youth (aged 15-19) and young adults (aged 20-24) between 2018 and 2022.
His report, released earlier this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics, reveals that Vietnamese American youth have disproportionately high rates of death by suicide — at 10.57 per 100,000. Indian American youth, on the other hand, have the lowest in the study rates, with 6.91 deaths per 100,000.
Lack of in-language resources and shame around mental health conversations in certain communities can present barriers to accessing care, he said.
“Southeast Asian communities have a lot of history with migration and trauma over the last five decades,” Bui said. “I’m Vietnamese and some of the words for mental health in Vietnamese are highly, highly stigmatized.”
Smaller minority populations, including Pakistani, Cambodian, Japanese and Thai Americans — among others — together have a youth suicide rate of 13.37 — the highest in the report.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
The uptick in Asian American youth suicides isn’t isolated; the general U.S. population has also seen a marked increase over the last two decades. But the community faces a unique set of contributing factors that might be responsible for the sharper rise in the last few years, Bui said.
“Especially over the last decade, there’s been so much more xenophobia and anti-Asian hate that a lot of these communities have experienced,” he said. “Having this increased societal pressure to succeed is also really damaging to the mental health of these youth and can contribute to worse depression and more suicidality.”
Racism during Covid also sparked some Asian American families to purchase guns for the first time, something that Bui says may be a contributing factor.
“I think some of these families might feel more safe having a firearm,” he said. “But the dangerous thing about bringing a firearm in the home is that that it does increase your risk of suicide and homicidal behavior.”
While more research needs to be done to explain the stark disparities among various Asian communities, language specific and culturally competent mental health resources are an urgent need across the board, he said.
“We have a youth mental health crisis that’s going on right now,” Bui said. “We need to really prioritize some of these high risk groups… and really take into account people’s culture, language and family into treatment for mental health.”
Photo by Mental Health America (MHA) on Pexels.com
Please follow and like us:
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
Related
READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<
