Depression, Stigma and the Model Minority Myth in the Asian-American Community

There are 1.25 million Chinese living in California. Many of them are in the Bay Area. Like other groups, certain cultural factors and experiences can affect Chinese Americans and their mental health. In this episode we'll cover how issues such as stigma, immigration, generational differences, assimilation, family, community, access to care,  the Model Minority Myth and more have an influence on Chinese Americans and their mental health.  

Host Jenee Darden gets insight from Larry Yang, psychologist and associate professor at Columbia University. 

Grandparents raising grandchildren is becoming more common in the African-American community. With that responsibility comes a need for support. It can also raise other personal issues of trauma that call for healing and mental wellness.

A special project called Healing Trauma and Overcoming Stress is helping grandparents work through these challenges.

Host Jenee Darden speaks with guests and psychologists Dr. Cheryl Johnson, president and co-founder of CJM Associates in Berkeley, California; and her fellow co-founder Dr. James Mensing.

In a previous show, Host Jenee Darden took you on a geeky journey through the MacWorld/iWorld Conference in San Francisco. Now she’s exploring wearable devices and devices that help manage your health at the conference. Jenee speaks with Jeff Gamet, managing editor of The Mac Observer magazine. He says some of these devices helped him lose weight. Listen as they discuss wearable technology, smart scales and gadgets that even can send info about your vital signs to your doctor. 

Host Jenee Darden was in geek heaven when she attended the MacWorld/iWorld Conference in San Francisco. It’s a fun conference where you can find out what’s new and what’s up with Apple and technology. Jenee look for gadgets that could also be wellness tools. 

She learned about making her own custom cell phone cases with VivoPrint.  

Then she played with a device from Livescribe that brings handwritten notes to your iPad. 

And a small camera from the company Closeli helps you keep an eye on things through your phone, while you’re away.  

Have you ever been in such a deep depression that you didn’t have the mental energy to dress yourself? Or maybe you were hurt in an accident and standing up to cook is hard on your body. Well, your state may be able to send someone to your home to help you.

 In Minnesota they’re called personal care assistants or PCAs

 Andre Best’s agency helps people with physical and mental health challenges stay in their home and gain independence. He is the founder of Best Home Care in Minnesota.  Andre explains the PCA program and how you may have access to these services in your state.

Mental Health and Wellness Radio salutes mental health advocate and PEERS Board President Luther Jessie, 54.  Luther died at the beginning of the year. Host Jenee Darden reflects on his work in the community and shares an interview she did with him last year about his own wellness.

Mental Health and Wellness Radio Host Jenee Darden noticed a recurring theme of “Taking a Chance” came up for her frequently in 2013. As we head into 2014, Jenee reflects on 2013. She shares why being open to taking chances can be a positive thing and good for your wellness for 2014. 

Mental illness doesn’t care about your race, culture or age. However, culture can play a role in how we view mental health. And it can affect our access to proper care.

Health journalist Katherine Kam did a three-part series on Asian-American students, depression and suicide for New America Media. She's also a 2012 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow. Katherine reports that according to the CDC, 19% of Asian Americans students said they have seriously considered suicide during the past year.

 Katherine looks at how academic pressures from family and society, along with cultural stigma can affect the mental health of Asian American high school and college students.

Documentary filmmaker Kathy Leichter moved back into her childhood home where her mother, Nina, committed suicide in 1995. Nina had bipolar disorder. She was charming, witty and a mental health activist.
Kathy gained greater insight into Nina’s joys and struggles when she found her mother’s personal audiotapes.  Kathy chronicles her mother’s life and bouts with bipolar in the film “Here One Day.” She speaks with Host Jenee Darden about the film, her mother and how family members cope when a loved one lives with a mental illness.

In the story Words for Warning, protagonist and poet Alaina Down struggles with a family secret. The pain and anguish she has kept buried for years is starting to unravel. While her silence has driven her to a strong desire to end her life.

Nash is the author of Words for Warning and a student at South Carolina State University. This is her first book.  She’s speaks with Mental Health and Wellness Radio host Jenee Darden about her book. She also shares her own story of abuse. Nash made a video  with a friend for a school project called “Behind the Smiles, Beyond the Letters”that  went viral and sparked discussion about mental health in the black community.