- http://kalw.org/post/asian-american-mental-health-inside-out-0
- http://kalw.org/post/asian-american-women-depression-and-suicide-go-largely-unseen-0
- http://kalw.org/post/finding-mental-health-somewhere-between-east-and-west-0
Provide names of other journalists involved.
Martina Castro, managing editor of KALW News, was the editor on “Asian American Mental Health: Inside Out.”
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
This three-part series aired on separate dates on KALW 91.7FM: Part I: “Asian American Mental Health: Inside Out.” May 9, 2012. Part II: “For Asian American women, depression and suicide go largely unseen.” June 7, 2012. Part III: “Finding mental health somewhere between east and west.” June 27, 2012.
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
A community’s mental health is difficult to quantify: it’s highly dependent on self-reporting and deeply entwined with cultural context. While physical health problems are easily spotted, mental health issues are harder to see — and often harder to fix. This is especially true for minority communities, which often view and experience mental health differently than mainstream Americans. As a California Endowment Health Journalism fellow, KALW’s Erica Mu spent six months researching and reporting the public radio series “Asian American Mental Health: Inside Out” in order to begin a sophisticated conversation about the mental health of Asian American Pacific Islanders. In three radio stories, Mu examined the experience of mental health from the perspective of several Bay Area residents of differing Asian American ethnicities. She begins the series by following a Taiwanese American family as they attempt to navigate a complex mental health care system — even for educated, affluent English speakers. The second piece is dedicated to humanizing the stories behind the jarring but little-known rates of suicide and depression among Asian American women. Finally, the series ends with a focus on PTSD treatment for the Cambodian community in San Jose — a population that western psychology and institutions have often excluded and even misdiagnosed. Through this three-part series, Mu has revealed barriers to care, such as cultural stigma and systemic challenges, while illustrating the complex ways in which people understand, experience, and deal with this highly personal public health issue.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
It took Erica Mu six months to produce the final radio series “Asian American Mental Health: Inside Out.” Three of those months were dedicated solely to research, interviews with experts, and relationship-building in order to gain access to the stories that would make the series. The types of documents, data, and Internet resources that Mu used to inform her series ranged from local news coverage to the latest academic papers being published on the topic of Asian American mental health. Mu sought to develop not only a knowledge of the numbers, but also a deep understanding of culturally competent health care provision. Mu used the following resources to determine rates of diagnosis, prevalence, and treatment for Asian Americans, as well as barriers to care: The Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change, Asian American Journal of Psychology, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, American Psychologist, Journal of Adolescence, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Epidemiologic Reviews, and the Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology. Mu also combed through research from Palo Alto University, UCLA, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Latino and Asian American Study, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the American Psychiatric Association. While research into this topic has grown significantly over the last decade, data for Asian Americans — an umbrella group that lumps 50 subgroups together — is still slim in comparison to the breadth of research available for other populations.
Explain types of human sources used.
Over the course of the reporting period, Mu had several conversations with research leaders in the field of Asian American mental health. These conversations were invaluable to better understanding the nuances of how research is conducted and what progress is being made towards defining culturally competent care. Mu’s human sources included Dr. Nolan Zane of UC Davis’ Asian American Center on Disparities Research, Dr. Francis Lu of UC Davis, Dr. Joyce Chu of Palo Alto University, and Dr. Daryn Reicherter of Stanford University. However, the most important human sources for “Asian American Mental Health: Inside Out” were the ones who were able to provide access to the personal stories making up the series. Mu worked with the following health care organizations and mental health advocacy groups to discover her subjects: Culture to Culture in Danville, Richmond Area Multi Services and the Asian American Women Artists Association in San Francisco, Asian Community Mental Health Services in Oakland, and the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association.
Results:
The three stories aired and re-aired on KALW 91.7FM and were distributed online via www.kalw.org. Forwarding from the aforementioned organizations and human sources helped make the series one of the most viewed and listened-to pieces for the station for 2012. Mu received thoughtful, personal emails from listeners who identified with the stories told, and was also invited to Oakland’s Asian Health Services as part of their 2012 summer speaker series. Most recently, Mu earned an Excellence in Journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists-Northern California for her work on “Asian American Mental Health: Inside Out.”
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
As we try to better understand the intersection of mental health and culture, we need to examine just what culturally competent care means, and whether the western paradigm of diagnosis and medication is the most effective way to approach minority mental health. For other journalists who are seeking to plan a similar project, I’d advise them to tread carefully — through research, conversation, and distribution. At nearly every turn of my reporting process, I found that matters were far more complicated than they seemed: statistics contradicted one another and research methodology was questionable. Finding subjects to share their stories was a far more difficult process than I’d imagined; days before I was to record with one “perfect” interview subject, he backed out due to the shame it would bring to his family — even with promised anonymity. Finally, careful, respectful writing is critical to not only effective reporting, but reporting that doesn’t harm. I culled through journalists’ guidelines for suicide coverage before embarking on the second story in my series. Still, reporting on minority mental health is badly needed — now. In 2012, California spent $760 million less on mental health services than it did just three years ago, though the need has not diminished. As city, county and state governments decide how to target their outreach and allocate their resources, it is critical to bring attention to the underreported issue of mental health.