AAPIs Are 3x Less Likely to Seek Out Mental Health Care
Accessible and affordable healthcare is a must for anyone in this country, and this includes AAPI small business owners. While trying to start and grow an enterprise, it’s difficult to have the constant fear of getting sick or an unforeseen health crisis hovering over your work. 88% of Asian Americans said that healthcare is either ‘extremely’ or ‘very important’ issue during the 2022 midterm elections, and about 43% of AAPI fear not having Medicare available to them once they have retired. This fear could be eradicated through ‘health equity’, which the CDC defines as “the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.” Making healthcare more accessible to AAPI and better research focused on the needs of minorities are musts going forward for the healthcare industry.
One aspect of healthcare that has become far more significant in the past few years is mental health. The increase in anti-AAPI hate has taken a significant toll on the AAPI population - 58% of Asian Americans said the discrimination and violence has affected their mental health. Unfortunately, Asian Americans are 3x less likely to seek out mental health care than their white counterparts, and 73.1% of Asian American adults with a mental illness did not receive treatment. The lack of multilingual mental health resources places a barrier in the healthcare world, and expanding the mental healthcare system would open doors to many who didn’t even have the option of seeking help before.
It is important to have an open dialogue about mental health within your companies, letting your employees know that taking care of both their physical and mental selves matters. Alongside this, continue to advocate your local leaders and policy makers for greater investment into the mental health workforce, culturally nuanced health care resources, and continually affordable and accessible healthcare for all.
