Stigma Surrounding Mental Health Within The South Asian Community

January 6, 2021 Kyra Meier-Klodt

By Naila Karim

Stigma surrounding mental health is something South Asian folk are all too familiar with. It stems from a lack of understanding (mostly from the boomer generation) and feeling shameful, leading to failure to seek help. I think most people can now agree on the fact that mental health is something that should be taught in all schools because of how overlooked it is. I also think it’s something that should be taught at home, because in all honesty, I feel like a lot of people within South Asian families have failed in that region. Thankfully, I have parents who are very understanding and supportive – but not many South Asian people can say that.

1.Lack of Understanding

The biggest problem within the South Asian community is the lack of understanding. I would say that the only generation that is definitely being taught the importance of mental health is Gen Z – bear in mind that I’m a part of this generation and I didn’t really understand much about it until my 20s. A lot of older generations were not educated on the subject at all, meaning unless they had physical symptoms, mental health issues were pretty much overlooked. And since then, there’s also been this awkward and shameful stigma surrounding it. It’s a sticky one, because I also understand that it was something that wasn’t really taught to the older generation and so maybe they felt that it was something that wasn’t important to educate their children about.

2. Feeling shameful and hopeless

Even though I consider myself luckier than most, I can still find it awkward and sometimes feel embarrassed when I talk about things like depression with certain family members. I’m 22, have a roof over my head and am perfectly healthy – so why am I complaining when there are people out in the world dying, right? Unfortunately, this is what happens within a lot of South Asian households. People are embarrassed, and afraid, almost, to open up to their parents or siblings about how they’re feeling because they know that it’s not going to be the case of getting professional help or being comforted by their family. They know it’s something their family will never understand. They’ll just be painted as the “bad egg”.

3.Reluctant to seek help

The one that breaks my heart the most is that the lack of education and being made to feel shameful then leads to being hopeless, and not even a single thought is given to the fact that you could get help. Therapy was something that was suggested to me by a friend after telling her how I felt stuck and didn’t think I could help myself on my own. I think there are also a lot of people who can’t afford it on their own but simply can’t ask their family members to pay for them so instead, they choose to ignore the problem, hoping their problems will go away in time. Or in other cases, they know that they need help but have been taught that their religious beliefs are what will “cure” them: as much as I think it’s good to have some sort of belief like this, it does not at all mean that you shouldn’t seek help from others. There is nothing wrong with asking for help or getting help, however you need it.

Thankfully, I know that we have now entered a time when it’s finally being talked about and strangely, we have social media to thank for it! Gen Z may be a misunderstood generation but it’s amazing how we’ve managed to help one another on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. People not only share their stories, but make videos, pages and posts on how to help one another. What’s even more amazing is the number of South Asians who have created platforms to help one another, as we’ve all more or less struggled with similar problems. Pages like ‘The Indian Feminist’ and ‘South Asian Community’ are just some of the pages on Instagram that I love following because of the relatable and interesting content and I would definitely recommend checking them out. They’re what inspired me to create my own blog.

I know that there are still a lot of people across all generations who aren’t able to get the help that they need and so I still think we have a long way to go before we get to a place where there is no stigma about discussing mental health and being able to speak openly and without hesitation about it with our families. I just hope that by starting to open up and express their struggles and difficulties now, it will make for a better future for South Asians, and all ethnicities whose cultures also have stigmas surrounding mental health.

Here are some Instagram pages that I would recommend following, as they not only represent South Asians, but educate about different mental health issues, how to help loved ones with mental health issues, and so on.

The_indian_feminist
Thatdesifeminist
Southasianqueens
Southasiancommunity
Southasiantherapists