Pressures stemming from living up to the expectation of the model minority myth may contribute to the suicide rate among Asian American women, according to Doctor Eliza Noh, the coordinator from the Asian American Studies program at the Cal State Fullerton.
Noh spoke to students recently at the University of Connecticut.
She is currently writing a book on racism and sexism and its impact on suicide among Asian American women.
According to the American Psychological Association, suicide is the second leading cause of death among Asian Americans ages 15-34 and that US born Asian American women had more suicidal thoughts–15.9% versus the general population at 13.5%.
Noh called the model minority myth harmful to Asian Americans in that pressure to live up to it can be unbearable, it subjects them to racism and sexism and causes them to be overlooked when it comes to providing resources and services.
She outlined ways to counter the affect of the model minority myth and spoke of the importance of providing culturally appropriate mental health services for Asian Americans. You can read more about that and her research in the Daily Campus.