In many Asian American households, mental health is often stigmatized due to cultural norms and pressures. This is something that is important to address because I feel that it is something that affects everyone at one point or another whether it is yourself or a friend or family member. There are many scientific studies that specifically examine the pressures that contribute to these rates in Asian American households, and this includes the parental pressure to succeed, difficulty of balancing two cultures and communicating with parents, family obligations based on the strong family values, and discrimination or isolation due to racial or cultural background (). Asians also tend to put a lot of value on the family as a unit and, therefore, each individual is expected to function within that role and submitting to the needs of the larger family. Furthermore, immigrant parents tend to view mental health with "the most extreme examples" and they often have a "very black and white" perspective on it rather than seeing it as a spectrum. 

In additions to many of the factors that contribute to mental health issues in this community, there are also deterrents when it comes to seeking professional help. This includes things such as the stigma, lack of awareness of mental health issues in the community(including parental lack of knowledge), avoid worrying parents with their problems, lack of mental health professionals who can offer appropriate linguistic and cultural care, and the costs associated with mental health care (Lee et al. 2008).