Mental Health

 Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders(AsA-NHPI) are three times less likely to seek mental health services than white Americans. In fact, only 8.6% of AsA-NHPI populations seek mental health services or resources, compared to 18% of the general American population. Studies have shown that in AsA-NHPI communities, several sources of stress greatly affect mental health, including cultural taboos around mental health concerns and the "model minority" myth.

Ethnicity & Medicine

Stanford Mental Health for Asians Research and Treatment (SMHART) Clinic

The Stanford Mental Health for Asians Research and Treatment (SMHART) Clinic is a person-centered program that works with individuals and their families to provide interdisciplinary, culturally-informed applications of evidence-based mental health care to Asians aged 18 years and over.
They treat conditions related to or exacerbated by cultural issues such as intergenerational trauma, racism and discrimination, mental health stigma, familial expectations and family conflict, intergenerational differences in acculturation, and acculturation stress.
They also work to improve mental health care for Asians by:

  • Training a new generation of professionals including medical students, residents, psychiatry fellows, and psychology postdoctoral fellows
  • Providing community education and support with initiatives such as Stanford CHIPAO
  • Advancing knowledge through research

Asian American Student Stress: The Other Side of Achievement

"It's an insane amount [of pressure] . . . Parent expectations get ingrained into your expectations. Then you see your peers, and you just want to do as good as them."