Action Alerts /Thank New America Media for reporting mental health stigma, Korean American community

 Recently Los Angeles' Korean community was stunned by the suicide of journalist Jean Yoo. Police say the 36-year-old Prime News anchor hung herself. Beautiful, talented and successful…some are wondering why would a such a person take her life. But when it comes to mental health, having it all is not as important as having resources for help.
New America Media reporters Peter Schurmann and Aruna Lee examined this story from another angle by looking at stigma in the Korean American community. They list interesting facts in their article "Mental Health Taboos Fuel Korean American Suicide":

--Suicide is one of the top 10 causes of death for Asian Americans.
--Asian American women ages 15 to 24 "account for more suicides than all in the country, according to the Department of Health and Human Services."
--A 2010 South Korean government report shows that suicide was the leading cause of death for people under 40.

Schurmann and Lee report that one of the factors behind these statistics is the importance of financial and professional success in Asian cultures.

"There is less tolerance [among Asian immigrants] for things that are not higher achieving, " psychiatrist Dr. Russell Lim told the New Media reporters. "These attitudes often get passed on to the second generation."

Lim was also quoted in the article saying, "Asian Americans just don't want to see a psychiatrist. " According to the article, some do seek therapy once they're in crisis.

Lee and Schurmann interviewed Christina Kim, a leader at the Korean American Family Service in Los Angeles. She said the center has seen a 10-15 percent increase in clients in the last year. Kim attributes it to the shaky economy. The center received a $6.5 million grant to hire more Korean speaking operators and better community outreach.

Thank Peter Schurmann and Aruna Lee for addressing this issue impacting the Korean American community. The information in the article is enlightening and may benefit someone who either needs help or know someone who does.