Suicide Awareness in the South Asian Community

Suicide is the leading cause of death among Asian Americans aged 20-24 years. In Asian American communities, mental health is viewed as a weakness and talking openly about anything emotional (i.e. sadness, disappointments, various life events, etc.) is rarely encouraged. Stoicism rules while physical touch and verbal affirmation can be seen as coddling. A lack of readily available culturally and linguistically appropriate, evidence-based suicide prevention and mental health treatment options, coupled with severe shortage of diverse and trained mental health workforce, further exacerbates poor mental health outcomes among minority populations. Western therapy does not always guarantee success, especially for immigrant and refugee communities, who often prioritize peer-to-peer and community-based support. For our community, healing is deeply connected to overall well-being, relationships, and collective care.

South Asian Americans are an underreported & underrepresented group in suicide research.

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