by: Aida Rivera

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It is 2015, New Year, New YOU. As my mother always told me, “it is the beginning of the year, do things right, keep your New Year’s  resolution.” Yes, beginning of the year, goals are set. Health clubs, yoga classes, Zumba classes are packed.  Diet  and weight loss programs making good business. More than ever, folks are conscious about their health and wellness, more than ever folks engage in activities to achieve that ever elusive goal, “Wellness”.

Wellness is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being. It is both subjective and relative. To some it signifies satisfaction, to others, peace of mind and freedom from disease. Some are lucky to have good genes transferred vertically, others strive to attain wellness thru their awareness and initiatives to improve their state of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social and / or occupational health.

Wellness is a luxury pursuit to the more affluent societies as it involves managing the body state after achieving the basic needs of food, shelter and basic medical care. It is an endeavor aimed to control the side effects of affluence, most notable of which, obesity. This ‘obesity phenomenon’ is so predominant and well accepted but  another side effect, though afflicts many, remains relatively ‘less known’ and in the fog of shame and stigma. It is called Mental Illness.

Finally, Mental Health week, a week dedicated to bring awareness to mental and behavioral health, its gravity and impact to the well being of the individual and the society in general. There is a saying, “Healthy mind rests on healthy body”. I should add, “Healthy body depends on healthy minds”. To this day, the stigma of having mental illness is a barrier in accessing adequate care and utilization of available mental health services.

Despite the high prevalence of mental health issues among Asian Americans, barriers to mental health treatment and challenges stand on the way. Included are economic, lack of awareness, stigma, language and cultural barriers, perceptions of mental illness as a weakness and source of shame/ burden to the family (cultural stigma) and different cultural norms about what constitutes appropriate mental health interventions.

Mental illness is a treatable disease. With proper education, improved language accessibility, affordable health coverage, increased awareness of mental health and chronic disease connection, and increased presence of Asian Americans in research, we hope to be able to break the barrier.