Mental Health: Let’s Talk About It (Part 2)

In alignment with SAMHIN’s mission to foster open dialogue about mental health within the South Asian community and highlight the meaningful contributions of those advancing this work, we invited Shruthi Srivatsan, BA, a healthcare researcher with a strong dedication to improving mental health outcomes, to share her experiences taking about mental health. This is the second post in a two-part series. Read the first post: Mental Health: Let’s Talk About it (Part 1).

A few months ago, I sat down with close family and friends in the South Asian American community to have honest conversations on the topic of mental health. The goal was to better understand the stigma attached to mental illness and piece together what a path forward, past fear and judgment, might look like.

In all my conversations, I heard a call for more candid discussions within the community – a normalization of talking about personal struggles. Though there may not be a one-size-fits-all approach, I asked how people felt we could combat the deeply rooted stigma that discourages such conversations.

My mother shared specific strategies for parents. “Pick up on cues. Encourage more open, honest conversations without fear of judgment… Say, Hey, we’re here for you no matter what.” She elaborated, stating that while parents need to be more willing to engage, this also requires a collective effort by our community. “Maybe as a society, [a] group of friends, maybe with professionals, you try to figure out… what we need to do to change… how we approach things.”

Rishika added that a part of this includes recognizing how aspects of South Asian culture can directly contribute to mental health struggles: “Family pressures, generational trauma, things like that play a role. That requires some additional level of self-reflection.”

This need for critical introspection was echoed by my father. “Anytime there is a gap between expectations and achievement, you’re gonna have a lot of stress. And with the South Asian community, the expectations are sky-high,” he explained. He also highlighted that these pressures are not exclusively felt by “youngsters”; they are felt by all of us, even if the older generation may talk about them a little differently.

During the conversations with my parents, I heard them repeatedly use the word “stress,” where my friends used more clinical terms like “anxiety.” Recognizing that this different language can represent shared experiences is important, and we should provide each other with the support and tools to actively participate in conversations on mental health. We should also encourage elders to open up about their own struggles – something Ruhna underscored.

She went on to point out that though young people may feel the onus is on them to lead this cultural shift, that isn’t necessarily the case. Religious and cultural organizations can play a major role in encouraging and supporting education and discussion, as these groups can be a trusted voice for those in our community otherwise hesitant to engage.

When I first sat down with my mom for this conversation, my first question was, “Is mental health a part of your life?” She paused for a moment and responded, “What do you mean? Like am I struggling?” But whether we are struggling or not, whether we realize it or not, mental health is irrefutably a part of all of our lives. It is implicated in the way we handle the challenges, big and small, thrown at us on a daily basis. Beyond ourselves, it can deeply affect the people we care about.

The path to acceptance is paved with introspection and empathy, as my dad pointed out. “If you look within yourself, everyone at various points of time in their life has gone through mental challenges.” Reminding ourselves of this enables a profound sense of connection with one another, one that can help propel the change needed in our community.

By Shruthi Shrivatsan
Shruthi Srivatsan earned a B.A. in Neuroscience from Swarthmore College in 2022 and has since worked in healthcare research, driven by a deep commitment to advancing mental health. She is also a dedicated SAMHIN volunteer.