Stigma of Mental Health Amongst Asians Is Alive & Real, So Why Deny It?

**updated**: it had been reported that on the same day I had published this post, 17 -year- old Luchang Wang, a student at Yale's Silliman college took her own life & died from an apparent suicide. My condolences go to her family and to Silliman College. 


From the age of 17 until I was in my mid-20s, I had a brief period where I became depressed and unhappy with life. With that, I did some stupid things, met people in college, whose behaviour and attitudes towards me made me upset and depressed. It was an unhappy time for me, though I hated high school the most. I had negative feelings and thoughts, but I didn't speak out about them in class. Instead, I reserved those for when I saw the Councillor at college, and boy did it do me a world of good. 

I would visit the Councillor once a week to discuss my feelings. 

I spoke about how I was depressed and sad, what I was thinking and how it made me upset, and the Councillor gave me some advice to help me overcome the problem. And to this day, I am thankful to them for that, because that was when I had trust in them, knowing it would be strictly confidential and that s/he wouldn't tell anyone else about my feelings, unless I wanted them to. 

I didn't want to keep my feelings bottled up any longer; I realized that by talking about them, would make things better, which it did. 

Source: Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) from Grey's Anatomy 

I was raised and brought up in an community where if you tried to discuss mental health issues and depression with family and other members of the Asian community, they would look down on you and say you brought this on yourself. 

You see, in Chinese families, and other Asian families, admitting you have a problem, is forbidden - and if you try and do so, you are either laughed at, or get shouted by your parents. In their own repressed world, there is no such thing as depression happening, at all. It is seen as a sign of weakness and that by admitting you have a problem, you are setting yourself up in bringing shame to your 'culture', which is sad but true. 

The very notion that Asians do not experience mental health problems like everyone else, brought on by this model minority myth is not only incredulous; in addition, it is equally damaging and harmful. 

These mental health problems that Asians face are linked to external racism, identity issues, immigration, assimilation, having to live up to high standards and expectations and parental and family pressure. 

Ah yes, Asians must be so successful, so diligent and intelligent, so hard-working that there is no real need to widen access to mental health services, because it is falsely implied that because Asians do so well in education, study hard, get jobs in business, work in the medical profession, running a take-away service and not be seen on TV and movies as positive media representations of Asians; we do not experience problems and have no problems to contend with. So therefore, to them, mental health services are limited to mainly Blacks, African - Americans, Caucasians and Hispanics. 

Mental health services are available and open to everyone; it's just that Asians do not , or be it choose not to take advantage of them for their own good. 

This image that Asians do not experience problems, is all a lie and a smokescreen used in covering up and avoiding the problem of mental health and suicide and tackling it, head on. 

I'll probably be accused by some people for using Luchang Wang's death as a statistic, but facts are facts and it seems these are the same people, who want to avoid addressing this problem, as to why more wasn't done to prevent young Asians from ending their life. 

Asians and Asian Americans experience high rates of suicide (according to the American Psychological Association, in 2007, Asian- American college students had a higher rate of suicidal thoughts than that of Caucasian college students); between the ages of 65 and 84, Asian- American women had the highest suicide rate, compared to Caucasian, Latino, Black women, and yet regardless, we are in denial. We ought to expose ourselves to the public to say we are not perfect, and that our community is having problems and needs help too. 

The real problem is that mental health is associated with Whites, more-so than with Blacks, African-Americans, Asians and Asian Americans; Blacks, African-Americans, especially African American women and Asian Americans are perceived to be strong-minded, confident, self-reliant. Because of that, it is believed that you can't display any signs of insecurities and worries. That everything has to be so positive people won't see through it & point out its flaws. 

So when a Black or Asian woman commits suicide or tries to kill themselves, our communities shrug it off and act like it didn't happen. 

Eating disorders, depression, body issues, lack of confidence, bi-polar, alcohol and drug addiction are not associated with Asians and Asian Americans. And yet Asians endure these exact problems, or of whom are unaware they have these problems. We have Asian doctors and psychiatrists, yes.... Asians who have depression, bi-polar disorder, do coke and drugs, well, screw them. That's not what i'd say, but that is an image that many elder Asians and Asian Americans would accept. 

It all starts like I said by admitting our community has a real problem, and after that comes the humanization, empathizing and listening to and be attentive to his/her needs. 

I believe that the longer Asians and in particular Asian parents continue to dismiss the idea that mental health doesn't happen to our community, the more Asians, especially young Asians and Asian Americans will resort to committing suicide and ending their lives. 

Chi-Kit Ho, a social worker once said many Chinese families don't talk to their children about their problems and helping them overcome them. & that is true. You suppress your feelings and emotions, but you do not talk about them, to anyone, you don't do anything. You do nothing. Not even seek counselling.   It is saying that being depressed or having negative thoughts is your own fault. You stop moaning and get on with life. 

But is it that so simple and straightforward? No, because you're allowing those thoughts to manifest and letting it destroy you, emotionally. & not if you're faced with having to live up to a model (minority) stereotype and having to be a certain type of person by your parents. These Asian parents fear that if their son or daughter displays or shows any mental health worries, it will reflect badly on them, as well as it would -in their eyes - tarnish their entire family and their own culture.

This type of thinking, as I said earlier is harmful and deeply troubling and does the Asian community no favours, whatsoever. 

The Asian community needs to stop boosting about how self-righteous we are, that we are the superior race in society. We need to dispel the model minority myth amongst other things. There is nothing to be ashamed of by admitting that one is suffering from or has depression. In doing so, you are opening yourselves up for people to assist you in helping you get the help you need, in combating this problem. 

And more importantly, you are in a better and healthier frame of mind. 

Image source: Tie A Yellow Ribbon, a PBS presentation via Angry Asian Man and APALA

I've Got 99 Asian Problems

Ok, maybe not 99 of them, but here are some of them that resonate with me, in particular....

• Being asked where you are from or what you are ethnically
• 'Where are you from?', (my answer: London), 'no, like where are your parents from?' (my answer: my mum's from China and my dad's from Hong Kong)

• Your parents want you to be the perfect grade - A student
• Your parents only want you to become a lawyer, doctor (curse you Grey's Anatomy, ER, no not really), accountant, IT person, and not become an actor, singer, dancer, artist

• Being given a dumb Asian nickname by your parents
• Your parents judge your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife or friends because they are a different race or ethnicity to you
• Your parents only want you to marry a person, who is the same race as you and thus, don't want you to marry a Black, White, Latino person 
• Going to a family reunion and barely knowing anyone there

• Not knowing how to speak your native language well
• Experiencing native Asians picking on you because you are were not born in an Asian country, technically meaning you're not 'Asian enough'
• You can't dress up as a superhero for Halloween or fancy dress without being an Asian Superman, Captain America or Wonder Woman
• Being asked if you know math(s) and to help them with their math(s) homework

• Your parents buy you only Jade - related jewellery, bracelets and bangles, earrings and necklaces 
• If you are of Chinese origin, people ask if you are Japanese (I get this all the time) & vice - versa with Japanese, Korean
• 'What type of Asian are you?' - actually, it's good they ask of this, as they are asking a specific question which deserves a specific answer
• Asians eat dogs - I don't. Never have done and never will
• Being asked to read or write Chinese, Japanese, Korean and yet you can't - I can't read Chinese
• 'How do you say (enter a phrase or saying) in Chinese, Japanese etc?'
• You must be good at karaoke - I like a sing-a-long, but I wouldn't go on American Idol or X Factor or become a singer 
• Being labelled submissive or passive and not being able to answer back  
• 'You Asians are so smart' #1 - yet this doesn't account for say, the lack of positive Asian representations and characters appearing in the media, movies and TV
• 'You Asians are so smart' #2'- and yet we read of cases of young Asians and Asian Americans committing suicide and killing themselves because of the pressures they face at home and by society

• Because you are Asian and like drawing, some people assume you draw Manga and Anime characters. I draw a lot, but I do realistic art  
• Because you are Asian and are into music, it's assumed you must be good at playing the violin or the piano 

Yeah so, model minority my arse 

Image source: Imgur 

The Ghost In The Shell Race-Bending Furore & Are Asian & Asian American Actresses & Actors Really Not That Bankable?

Despite the West's love for Japanese culture and its cultural properties, such as Anime and Manga, this hasn't stopped their attempts in their refusal to cast Asians and Asian- American actors, actresses, presenters and hosts in movies and TV shows. 

The term 'race-bending' refers to situations where the creator of the media content, changes the ethnicity of a character. This practice has been used by Hollywood on countless occasions to discriminate against people of colour. Black-face and yellow-face had been employed by Hollywood to prevent Black and Asian actors from undertaking roles in TV and film. 

It has also been criticized for perpetuating racial and ethnic stereotypes that have long persisted in Western media and entertainment, particularly in America. 

Ghost In The Shell isn't the first Japanese Anime feature where Asian characters have been replaced with White American versions; the live action versions of Dragonball Evolution, Speed Racer, and the infamous Avatar: The Last Airbender all fell victim to race-bending.

The controversy over Scarlett Johansson's casting in the Ghost In The Shell movie that later blew up online via social media this week, doesn't just expose the hypocrisy of Hollywood casting a Caucasian actress in a role of a Japanese character. There is a much bigger problem that lies in the heart of all of this: 

That Asian and Asian- American performers are not as financially bankable as White and Black and African-American actors and actresses. It is an admission of truth, as sad it may be, but also that it's not that Hollywood isn't ready for an Asian- American actor or actress, because they have done so for quite some time.

This is Hollywood saying that Asian faces don't sell movies and help make millions of dollars at the box office. 

It pretty much underlines that we still have a long way to go in ensuring that Asian- American actresses and actors are on the same level of success and wavelength as their Black and white peers. And of whom are treated with as much respect as them as well. 

And if they don't help sell movies, the less likely Asian faces will appear in movies and television. And more worryingly, the less Asian and Asian American celebrities for the Asian and Asian American audiences to look up to as role models and positive representations.  

 

Above: Ming-Na Wen in Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Lucy Liu who plays Dr Jane Watson in Elementary


Thankfully, the TV landscape is a lot brighter, to say the least; with Asian American characters as regulars on prime-time television in the US.  

The Elementary situation is interesting - if a little bit baffling and confusing at the same time; Dr. Joan Watson is an Asian- American woman, as opposed to a Caucasian White British man in Dr. John Watson. So not only do we have a case of race-bending, we also have a case of gender-bending as well. The producer of the series did go on record to say that as far as cultural differences and race go, the series wasn't going to play into it, nor will it have much of a bearing. 

The Dr. Joan Watson character is a character that doesn't have an Asian- sounding name, but neither does she strike the odd Kung Fu pose. In fact, she's just a person - not a person of color or of Asian descent, even though her race is different, and people will make a deal about it, this is not the integral part of the show. She's just Watson doing her job.  

Still, people will say this is an example of double standards in race-bending. That it is racist if a Caucasian actor or actress commit acts of race-bending, but when an Asian or Black person does it, they don't get called out for it. 

This is the first time where race-bending, in this instance, has been applied to a fictional character that was and is traditionally male and of White British descent. 

But Lucy has received backlash before over her casting as Dr Joan Watson in Elementary. And really, when I think about Elementary, it is not the same show as Sherlock Holmes. I don't think of it that way, well I try not to - it's just a modern twist on an old formula by making it contemporary, but also the casting of Lucy Liu is an example of race-casting done right, without further diluting the character. 

Things such as race-bending, casting non-Asians as characters of Asian origin in movies, generally do a lot of damage control to the Asian and Asian- American community, as well as towards the wider communities, inasmuch as the stereotypical roles and portrayals of Asian characters themselves.  

*above: Rila Fukushima, actress who appeared in The Wolverine with Hugh Jackman

I was watching an interview with George Takei (of Star Trek fame) and he mentioned that the challenge is that whilst on TV, there is an Asian nurse (by that I presume he means Sandra Oh on Grey's Anatomy) and detective (Lucy Liu in Elementary), there isn't an Asian-American actor of the status of Denzel Washington to sell movies. Which is very accurate and true. 

The global society we are living in today such as the US and UK, for example, is made up of various ethnicities, cultures and where the entire populations are not 110% White. One would assume the film and to a lesser extent, TV industry would reflect these populations, but unfortunately, this is not the case when it comes to the lack of representations of ethnic minorities within the media. 

And yet they make up for this by resorting to race-bending by taking a fictional person of colour, keeping their name and turning them White by casting a White actor or actress. 

There are lots of - if not that many East Asian and Asian-American actors and actresses that could play Asian characters on screen, so why try and take that opportunity away from them, and thus, drag their industry further down the ground? 

It's like that other race-bending situation with Michael B. Jordan being cast as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four movie reboot - you can change Johnny Storm's ethnicity, from White to Black, and yet one can still change an Asian character into a White one by casting a White actor or actress? No, absolutely not. It just reeks of double standards. 

The differences between Lucy Liu being cast as Dr. Jane Watson in Elementary and say that disastrous Avatar: The Last Airbender live- action movie is the casting of white actors in Asian roles in Avatar, were used to heavily distort the ethnicity of the characters from the original cartoon series. Jane Watson's ethnicity might have been different, but it wasn't done to offend the original source material of Sherlock Holmes.

Because of the twist of making Watson Asian and as a woman, in addition to moving the location to New York from London, one may argue these changes were made to reflect contemporary American society for the show's benefit. 

The White-washing is worse in movies than it is in TV, and still, Hollywood insists that it happens, because it is a business and that as a business, their aim is to get as many bums on seats as they can and make as much money as they can. 

Well, that answers it then: they don't care about the demographics or ethnographic of the people attending their movies, or about embracing diversity. 

Scarlett Johansson is a good actress - her role in Lost in Translation from 2003 is still her best to date- and whilst she has undertaken action roles before, such as Black Widow in The Avengers, for me, the main character in Ghost In a Shell should be played by a female of Asian descent, preferably Japanese or Japanese-American. 

There have been few occasions where race-bending characters have been utilized to positive effect to add diversity or enhance diversity, or just to change the dynamic of the narrative slightly, such as Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury in The Avengers. And Lucy Liu's Jane Watson in Elementary. But other than that, it further discredits or lessens the actor's contribution, as well as further discriminating against the racial group s/he is supposedly conforming to. 

Yet Hollywood continues to operate in a way that unless you are of the caliber of Will Smith or Denzel Washington, they will continue casting Caucasians, and actors of other ethnicities in race-bending roles.  

I'm all in favour for racial diversity in movies and television.... but at the expense of sacrificing and swapping the character and/or actor's ethnicity, because the colour of someone's skin, in their eyes, doesn't make them marketable? Sorry, but this is messed up. 

British Chinese Should Look To Asian American Stars For Inspiration & As Role Models

By Waiching

I understand people have pinpointed towards the negative depictions of Chinese in the British media - a fact that hasn't been addressed for the past 3 decades or so-, but the real issue lies with the lack of British born Chinese visibility.

The low integration levels and the reluctance of the British Chinese people to do things, has partly attributed to this problem.

Chinese Brits do not discuss about the lack of positive representations in the media. But that in itself then becomes a problem, as it implies that many of them are happy to sit back and see that Black British, White British and Indian, Pakistani British characters and celebrities and sportspeople exist, and not those of Chinese, Japanese, Korean ethnicity alongside too.

Another problem is that many do not vote in the elections. We are perceived as the 'silent majority', or be it minority but yet feel content. They are silent not because of fear or discouragement but because there are fewer opportunities and fewer doors open for British Chinese to walk through and to dispel stereotypes. People vote expecting change - yet when the chosen government does get elected, we see more broken promises, more often than not in the UK. Therefore, I can and do understand why some people do not vote, because of those reasons.

On the other hand, this predicament with Chinese Britons however, is a complete contrast to the United States of America, where Americans of East Asian descent are progressing forwards in areas such as arts and entertainment. Of course, Asians trail behind the Caucasians, Blacks and the increasing Latino communities, but it has the odd 5, 6 Chinese personalities on there. In fact, they have a lot of them. In the UK, we have Gok Wan and Ching-He Huang. Although Ching was born in China and moved to London when she was a young child.

This isn't the case with Asian- Americans, in particular, Americans of Chinese, Japanese, Korean descent on TV, in movies, as performers, newscasters, fashion designers, presenters.

The Chinese, particularly the Chinese Brits, can knock America as much as they want, but it is the land of opportunity and freedom. A country that has no bounds. It is a country which has produced more media representations of Asians outside of Asia than any other. And more representations than the UK. They have more opportunities for people of colour and are more open to having Asian presenters, actors on screen.

So in the answer as to how come there are more American- based East Asians in arts and entertainment compared to British based east Asians? That is my answer.

When people mention the American Dream, it is a dream that people regardless of age, gender, race, sexuality can aspire to by working hard. The Chinese are perceived to be hardworking and determined in education and in professions such as law, medicine, business. But if it is anything related to arts, entertainment and media, it is assumed it is a bad thing altogether and is so un - Asian like. This type of thinking has to be rid of - if British Chinese, as well as Koreans, Japanese stand any chance of success in these fields, as well as gaining further screen recognition.

I think it has got to a stage where people like myself, British Chinese sought positive representations and role-models of my own ethnicity across the pond.

Is there such a thing as British Chinese Identity? For me, yes. Should we always turn to British Shows, films, the pop music world to validate this argument? No, because a) there aren't many representations to speak of in Britain and b) why not look to Asian American stars?

Having celebrities who are positive role models who look like you, racially, is important because it instils confidence, motivation in yourself and enables you to fulfil and pursue your ambitions. That, or it gives you hope for the future. Seeing them on TV is a way of validating their existence and showing that we too can succeed in that area. It helps greatly if the celebrity you look up to specialises in the same field that you are in or are interested in undertaking. If what they do reflects what you want to do in the future, then you're most likely to pursue the career path you have chosen.

The Americans have Lucy Liu, Vera Wang, Jeremy Lin, Connie Chung, Julie Chen, B.D Wong, Kelly Hu, Ming-Na Wen, whereas the British don't have as many British Chinese celebrity & sporting personalities. Recent academic work on British Chinese studies calls into question an overlooked and less populated Ethnic group in British society, who feel invisible and ignored by mainstream Britain.

The absence of support figures in the media industry could (& understandably) illustrate their reluctance to actively pursue careers in television, film and music, for example.

In comparison to Asian- Americans, media coverage of British Chinese has been limited. The US goes to lengths to ensure diversity in arts, media, entertainment comes in all shapes and sizes, and colours.

But like Chinese Americans, Australians and Canadians, one of the distinguishing factors cited for British people, is the ability to speak English fluently & to communicate clearly and with clarity. If one speaks English well, you don't get treated differently.

If you spoke to me on the phone and had no inclination or hint to my physical appearance as a British Chinese Asian person, and I didn't mention my Chinese name, you'd assume that I was a White person.

Despite how far removed we are from our immigrant roots, or how different we are compared to native Chinese, born in China or Hong Kong, the British Chinese identity crisis is further deepened and contested by those who might be torn between being Chinese and proud of one's roots, and those who feel less Chinese, and more western. Not just for the sake of fitting in with the rest of society, but we need to acknowledge that having 2 identities - one racial, the other nationality- wise is a positive thing.

When I was growing up in London, the UK in the early 1980s, there was no one on TV that looked like me and was born in the UK. Probably the first real Chinese diaspora celebrity I saw on TV that made me go 'yes, I can relate to her to an extent', was Lucy Liu when she played Ling in the dramedy, Ally McBeal. Like myself, we share the same surname, and we were born in big cities - I was raised in West London, Lucy was born in Queens, New York.

Today, the most well known British- born Chinese celebrity to date, is Gok Wan. He is the presenter of shows such as 'How To Look Good Naked'. Gok is a pretty interesting character, as he is from two cultural groups in society - Chinese and the LBGT community. Groups that are not considered as the 'norm' in society. He is of East Asian origin born in Leicester.

In the United States of America, Asians aren't always confined to supporting or background characters. They are also newscasters and reporters, TV presenters, fashion designers, dancers, musicians, as characters in sitcoms and dramas. A wide range of roles within the arts, media, entertainment, sport. The difference between the US and UK with regards to Asians on screen is the term 'Asian' and how it is defined. Asian in the UK is inclusive of India, Pakistan and people of South Asian origin; in America, the term is inclusive of people of south-east Asia, East Asia. Such as China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Philipines and Malaysia. There are more Indians, Pakistanis to name than Chinese, Japanese, Koreans in Britain & vice - versa.

Despite hailing from the transatlantic, in spite of speaking English in a different accent, us Chinese Britons do share a lot in common with Asian Americans, Canadians, Australians.

Having people who look like me, but do not reinforce stereotypes means I can identify with them a lot. But more importantly, they illustrate the types of experiences and ideas that best exemplify the contributions and positive output made by the Asian community, or be it from people of Asian descent towards the rest of society.

When people mention or think of Chinese people on TV, they tend to refer to native Chinese. But rarely include people of Chinese descent.

Assuming all Chinese people are from China is similar to thinking that all Black people are from Africa. & that isn't true. Because if that is the case, terms such as Black Carribean, Black British and African- American would not have been invented.

As disappointing as it is for me not to see as many British Chinese people in the media, that doesn't mean the situation is completely dire. It's better to have good representations of Asians than practically none or very, very little of them.

Even if means searching for examples abroad.