Addressing Culturally Specific Mental Health Care Needs in the US: The Asian American Population

As the fastest growing minority group in the US, Asian American health needs and disparities are becoming critical areas to address, particularly in the mental health domain (Leong, Park, & Kalibatseva, 2013). Currently, the culturally specific needs of this group are not being adequately met. This includes appropriately serving low English proficiency (LEP) patients who experience different healthcare quality and outcomes than other individuals. Additionally, recognizing culturally unique perspectives, emotional burdens, and immigrant experiences is crucial in developing culturally tailored mental health interventions and shifting mental health toward individualized care. This work aims to examine current policies surrounding culturally competent care in the US, areas of critical need such as language competency, differences in cultural experience, mental health service access barriers, and current efforts/future steps to address the needs of this group