mental health
Mental health in Asian American communities: Why we must break the silence together
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this piece are those of the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of NextShark.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as Mental Health Awareness month. It is a unique time to be an Asian American psychologist, as it is the one month in which Asian American mental health issues become highlighted across many platforms. I am often asked, “What is the state of Asian American mental health?” Truth be told, less than three years ago, it was a topic that was mostly siloed within cultural competency courses in graduate schools, and rarely discussed by the public. People were not accustomed to acknowledging Asian American identity, and even less attention was placed on exploring Asian American mental health.
Olympic gold-medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim reveals plans for mental health break
- Two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim plans to take a full season off from competition to prioritize taking care of her mental health.
- Kim still plans to compete, however, in the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim plans to take a full season off from competition to prioritize taking care of her mental health.
The snowboarding star revealed her plans in an interview with Cheddar News last week.
40% of AAPI LGBTQ youth considered suicide over the past year, report finds
- LGBTQ AAPI youth are at higher risk of suicide and other mental health challenges due to high rates of racial discrimination, according to a new report by the Trevor Project.
- Forty percent of AAPI LGBTQ youth have seriously considered suicide over the last year, according to the report.
- Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian youth experienced the highest rate among the subcategories at 49%, followed by Korean American youth at 47%, Filipino American youth at 41%, Indian youth at 39%, Vietnamese youth at 31% and Chinese youth at 29%.
- The report revealed that over 50% of AAPI LGBTQ youth encountered race-based discrimination over the last year.
- AAPI youth who experienced discrimination because of their race or immigration status reported significantly higher rates of suicide attempts over the last year than those who did not, according to the report.
LGBTQ Asian American and Pacific Islander youth are at higher risk for suicide and other mental health challenges due to high rates of racial discrimination, according to a new report.
About 3,600 AAPI youth, aged 13-24, participated in the Trevor Project’s yearly national survey on queer youth mental health last year. This year’s report is one of the first of its kind to study the intersection between the AAPI and LGBTQ communities.
Cherokee County father fatally shoots his teenage daughter before killing himself
A 57-year-old Cherokee County father, Howard Newhouse, fatally shot his 19-year-old daughter before killing himself.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting at a home in the Bridge Mill subdivision in Canton, Georgia, at approximately 5:45 p.m. on March 19 and found the bodies of Newhouse and his daughter. The officials confirmed that Newhouse had shot his daughter, Kathryn Newhouse, before committing suicide by shooting himself.
Man who shoved Michelle Go to her death deemed unfit to stand trial
- Simon Martial, the man accused of fatally shoving Michelle Go, was found mentally unfit to stand trial on Tuesday.
- At the time of his arrest, Martial confessed to pushing Go in front of an oncoming train and said he did it “because I’m God.”
- The 61-year-old has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has cycled in and out of mental hospitals for at least 20 years, according to his sister.
- Martial’s lawyer reportedly expects the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to “confirm” the findings, which means he could be locked up in a mental health facility instead of jail.
Simon Martial, the homeless man accused of killing Michelle Go, has been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
At the time of his arrest, Martial, 61, confessed to fatally shoving Go in front of an oncoming train in the Times Square subway station on Jan. 15. He said he did it “because I’m God.”
‘The new Sunmi became stronger’: K-pop idol opens up about her struggles with her mental health
- K-pop idol Sunmi reflected on her struggles with mental health on the latest podcast episode of “Spotify: Mic Check” in light of her new single “Oh Sorry Ya.”
- In 2015, Sunmi was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which she revealed in an episode of Mnet’s reality show “Running Girls” in December 2020.
- The 29-year-old’s song “Borderline,” which was featured on her 2021 mini-album “⅙,” was the first song in which she directly expressed her struggles with her disorder.
- Sunmi’s new song “Oh Sorry Ya” is a reflection on her new journey as she fights to move past the “old Sunmi.”
- “Oh Sorry Ya” was released on March 8 as a part of Spotify’s new platform EQUAL X Spotify Singles project, which celebrated female artists in honor of International Women’s Day.
In conjunction with the release of her new single “Oh Sorry Ya,” K-pop idol Sunmi has opened up about her battle with mental illness.
Sunmi made her K-pop debut in 2007 as a member of the Wonder Girls until 2010, resuming her career in 2013 as a solo artist. She has previously released hit singles such as “Gashina” and has 2.6 million monthly Spotify listeners, as of this writing.
South Koreans demand tougher cyberbullying laws following recent suicide deaths of Korean celebrities
- South Korea’s government is under pressure to act after the recent deaths of a high-profile volleyball player and Twitch streamer, both of whom were victims of countless instances of online abuse and malicious comments.
- Kim In-hyeok, a 27-year-old professional volleyball player for the Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs, was found dead of an apparent suicide at his home on Friday.
- Cho Jang-mi, a 27-year-old Twitch streamer and YouTube influencer who often went by the name “BJ Jammi,” was also found dead of an apparent suicide on Saturday, the day after Kim.
- Kim had recently complained about the surge of hateful comments he received due to rumours regarding his appearance and sexual idenitity.
- Cho was also reportedly suffering from depression after receiving sexually degrading comments and claims that she despised men over the span of more than two years.
- A petition calling for stricter punishments for cyberbullying was uploaded on the presidential Blue House’s website and has managed to attract more than 150,000 signatures by Tuesday.
WARNING: This article contains mentions of suicide that may be disturbing to some readers.
The recent suicide deaths of professional volleyball player Kim In-hyeok and Twitch streamer Cho Jang-mi have put the South Korean government under pressure to enact stricter punishments against cyberbullying.
SF DA says it objected to mental health diversion and release of man charged with 27 anti-Asian hate crimes
- Derik Barreto, 37, is facing a total 33 charges — including 27 hate crime enhancements — after allegedly going on an anti-Asian burglary and vandalism spree between April and August of last year.
- Those enhancements accounted for a large portion of anti-Asian incidents reported in San Francisco last year, which rose to 60 from just nine in 2020.
- Despite the scale of his alleged crimes, Barreto was recently reported to be out of custody on a mental health diversion program.
- The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office told NextShark that they objected to both Barreto’s diversion and release, saying they believe he requires “a higher level of supervision.”
After it was reported that the man charged with more than half of San Francisco’s anti-Asian hate crimes in 2021 is out of custody, the District Attorney’s Office of Chesa Boudin has clarified their objections to the court’s decision.
Derik Barreto, 37, allegedly vandalized and burglarized 20 Chinese-owned businesses and seven others across the city between April and August of last year. He was arrested on Aug. 11, according to the DA.
Naomi Osaka responds to critics in latest Instagram Q&A: ‘IDGAF anymore’
- Naomi Osaka, 24, slammed her critics in a recent Instagram Stories Q&A, saying "IDGAF anymore" about their comments.
- For her 2022 goal, Osaka plans to approach the new year with a less worrisome mindset and "find a way to enjoy the game [tennis] again."
Star tennis player Naomi Osaka recently slammed her critics during a Q&A session she held on Instagram Stories for her fans.
Osaka, 24, revealed she does not care anymore about the comments of her critics after one of her fans told her to play at the Australian Open as if she has something to prove, according to EssentiallySports.
After hitting ‘rock bottom,’ a 26 y/o is supporting his family and improving parent-child relationships through a card game
- After years of misplaced anger and miscommunication, Joseph Lam rebuilt his relationship with his parents by genuinely talking with them.
- Lam co-founded a card game called Parents are Human to encourage conversation between bilingual children and their parents.
- Decks are 70 cards each divided into 50 questions and 20 actions and are currently available in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Korean, Filipino/Tagalog and English-only, with blank backs for players to fill in.
The power of community drives the success of a card game called Parents Are Human, which aims at improving communication and connection between immigrant families.
Joseph Lam, 26, was in his early 20s when he hit “rock bottom.” In 2018, he ended his health tech company and an almost two-year relationship and was forced to move back into his family home where he faced a turbulent relationship with his parents.
What to do about hurtful comments from family and loved ones during holiday gatherings
Holidays usually call for joy and lots of time with loved ones. As much as we may cherish moments with our family and friends, dealing with their unsolicited comments about us can be painful. It’s difficult to spend time with people and build deeper relationships when you’re attacked with those dreaded comments and interrogations:
“You’ve gained weight.”
New video of Christian Hall with his hands up before fatal shooting prompts calls for ‘unbiased’ probe
Footage confirming that Christian Hall had his hands up in the air when Pennsylvania State Police fatally shot him last December was released on Thursday, sparking renewed calls for an “unbiased” investigation into the incident.
What happened: Hall, 19, was reported as suffering a mental health crisis when he ended up on the bridge at the Route 33 southbound overpass over I-80 in Hamilton Township on Dec. 30, 2020. Pennsylvania police, who were called to assist, fatally shot him for allegedly pointing what turned out to be a non-fatal weapon at them.
