Asian Mental Health Collective

AMHC aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide. First conceived in 2018 by a group of therapist friends coming together to discuss their experiences of mental health as Asians, AMHC has grown into the only grassroots organization directly providing mental health resources for Asians. We believe that because our mental health is a product of our community, we can and should nurture and grow our mental wellness from within our communities. As such, AMHC works to increase awareness of and access to mental health resources for Asian communities, equip Asian clinicians with the support needed to best serve the community, and create open dialogue and space for connection around our shared mental health journeys as Asians.

About the Organization:

National • Colorado

The Issue:

Research shows that within the United States alone, Asians are three times less likely to seek mental health services and treatment compared to their White counterparts. About 15% of US Asian American Adults had a mental illness (2019) yet only ~1 in 5 receive treatment, the lowest of any minority group. Additionally, the leading cause of death among Asian American Young Adults (ages 15-24) is suicide, making destigmatizing mental health a priority--a matter of life and death

This hesitance to reach out is largely due to cultural stigma that includes an unwillingness to act in ways that may bring shame to oneself and one’s community. Simply put, many still view mental illness as dishonorable. Asian cultural values such as face and filial piety may often exacerbate this trend of suffering in silence.

The Solution:

Normalizing conversations around mental health in the Asian community is a cultural shift. Addressing anti-therapy culture is a multifaceted effort. As a nonprofit organization, we are destigmatizing therapy by normalizing open conversations about mental health experiences as well as providing real, honest, experiences about what therapy looks like.

To help further our mission of destigmatizing mental health, we are planning our second-ever virtual TransformAsian conference. The theme of TransformAsian (transformation) speaks to our belief in the power of change, transformation, and the importance of celebrating the journey of recovery. By creating space for individuals to share in open and honest discussion about their personal difficulties, we at AMHC hope Asian communities will learn to embrace mental health treatment when needed.

Asian Mental Health Collective