Rep. Judy Chu Introduces Bill To Break Mental Health Stigma Among Asian-Americans

A congresswoman is taking steps to address a rarely discussed issue in the Asian-American community.  Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) recently introduced a bill that would help increase mental health awareness among Asian-Americans and also aim to end the negative stigma associated with the topic.  “If members of the community do not know that that help is there ... the alternative is suffering in silence.” The legislation covers an issue that’s personal to Chu, who’s actually a former clinical psychologist. She told HuffPost that mental health in the community has long gone undiscussed, and she hopes that the bill will help Asian-Americans understand that there are resources out they can take advantage of.  “I worked with trauma victims and others who had mental health problems and saw firsthand how important it was to take that first step to call a crisis hotline or reach out for help,” she told HuffPost in an email. “If members of the community do not know that that help is there ... the alternative is suffering in silence.” The bill would call for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services, to partner with local advocacy and behavioral health organizations and develop outreach and education strategies appropriate for Asian-Americans, Chu told HuffPost. This also means implementing culturally understanding and language-appropriate re...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news