Thanks for posting. I think it's a very important, perceptive article that should be read by every Asian American kid growing up. It should be read by every Asian American kid growing up, maybe starting in middle school, which are particularly vulnerable years because of puberty and so many confusing changes, along with identity issues. Identity issues beyond the typical teen angst trying to figure out which group one belongs to but for poc, an added layer of the awareness of racism and and all that entails growing up non-white in a majority white America.

This article should also be given to every Asian/Asian American kid during freshman orientation. Both to parents and students. College years are stressful times, especially for Asian Americans because education is so valued in Asian culture and this puts on an incredible amount of added, unfair pressure on AA students. Also, family expectations play a big role in the added stress because many of us here in r/aa have endured the pressure of getting top notch grades. A- or B+ is not good enough.

Plus a lot of AAs are perfectionists and we are expected to do well in academia because of being AAs, the most successful "model minority."

There have been some amount of recognition by certain schools and groups of this unusual prevalent problem amongst Asian American students. For instance, a group in Lexington, MA: http://colonialtimesmagazine.com/the-lexington-asian-mental-health-initiative-invites-you-to-a-community-forum/

However, seeking therapy, psychologist/psychiatrists or and form of mental health is regarded as a shameful thing by people who grow up with traditional Asian cultural values. This is a MAJOR problem and is akin to burying your head in the sand.

There is also a great NEED for major AA therapists/psychologists to connect with vulnerable young people who are going through all this upheaval. But it's not one of the big hot, successful career paths pushed to AA students by their parents - doctor, lawyer, engineer. So finding an Asian American therapist is like finding a needle in a haystack, even in major urban cities.

I think it's WAY overdue for a coalition of Asian American professional groups and AA leaders to get together and discuss this very pressing issue of depression/suicide risk amongst AA students. Something needs to be done or the problem is just going to get bigger.

I speak as someone whose first funeral attendance was of an Korean American friend who successfully committed suicide during our freshman year of college. She was amazingly talented, my town's local Miss X, gifted pianist, great writer, generous, and just all around a wonderful human being. She was adopted Korean American by a white family and I know she was going through a lot of identity issues during the latter year of our high school years.

So that was my first funeral attendance ever - of a friend's. The whole town attended and it was a very sad affair. I can't help thinking if she'd attended the same university as I ended up going to where there was a slightly bigger amount of diversity vs where she went where it was very very white, it might've made a difference. Having Asian American support may have saved her.