Throughout our community

• Many Asian Americans within our community experience the stress and pressure of living up to many familial and societal expectations and standards. 

• Studies have shown that Asian Americans have the lowest utilization rate of mental health resources, even more so avoiding services or delay help-seeking until the problem becomes more serious. This may be due to cultural adaptation, familial pressure and mental health stigma (Murphy-Shigematsu et al., n.d.).

• Additionally, language barriers heavily limit accessibility to mental health services (Mental Health America, 2024).

The goal of AAMH

The Asian Alliance for Mental Health seeks to dismantle the stigma around mental health within the Asian American community at the University of Washington by offering a safe environment to have conversations to address various mental health issues. We strive to promote open dialogue and accessible mental health services. 

References 

Fast Facts (HTML version). (n.d.). Office of Planning & Budgeting. https://www.washington.edu/opb/uw-data/fast-facts/fast facts-html-only/. 

Mental Health America. (2024). Asian American / Pacific Islander Communities and Mental Health. https://www.mhanational.org/issues/asian-american-pacific-islander-communities-and-mental-health#:~:text=Treatment%20Issues&text=Discussing%20mental%20health%20concerns%20is,deny%2C%20or%20neglect%20their%20symptoms%20.

Murphy-Shigematsu, S., Sein, K., Wakimoto, P., Wang, M. (n.d.). Asian American Student Stress: The Other Side of Achievement. Second Generation, Culture Conflict, and Ethnic Identity, Part IV Chapter 17. https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/care/Asian-American-Student-Stress-.pdf.