Mental Health, Stigma, and Suicide: a Chinese-American Perspective
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The Three Ks
Our community and context shape how we respond to challenge and trauma.
As a Chinese-American, Karen Ng has a passion to confront the stigma and discomfort towards mental health and suicide that she encountered. Two years ago, Karen’s sister, Karine, took her own life.
Karen speaks to the pain, the feelings of shame, family expectations, and what has helped her to survive and stabilize after loss.
There are powerful, particular insights into the journey of this Chinese-American, the stigma around counseling and depression, and the ways to create cultures of care and support.
You can find the Handle with Care Podcast on Google Play, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can also listen here:
Karine Ng
Here are three key take-aways after my conversation with Karen…
Our community helps to shape our reality. Karen talked about the particular challenges within a Chinese-American community: the reluctance to seek help for depression or mental illness, the pressure to be strong. What kind of a culture are you a part of when it comes to grief and loss? Is it an open one that allows space for those that struggle? Or is it one that forces people to bury their struggles? How can you be part of co-creating a more life-affirming culture?
In the aftermath of a suicide, loved ones can be unfocused and adrift. Karen talked about the importance of getting very straightforward directions, taking one project at a time. For managers or coworkers, be aware of this element of distraction and adjust your workflow accordingly. Perhaps this means streamlining tasks and having more regular check-ins in those first few months.
There is great power and importance to listening to the experience of people that come from a background or context that is different than your own, especially if you are part of a majority culture. You will not immediately resonate with or understand their perspective…in translating cultures or navigating grief, you will most-likely make mistakes along the way. If you make a mistake, like I did in referring to Asian-Americans instead of Chinese Americans, accept correction, apologize, and try to modify your perspective moving forwards.
The Ng Family
Growing up together