In a special series for APA’s Medical Mind podcast called: Breaking the Silence, Addressing Youth Suicide, Dr. Kristy Vo, and Dr. Pooja Khaira explored the significant rise in suicide rates among Asian American youth. Dr. Vo is the representative for the Caucus of Asian American psychiatrists and chair of the assembly committee for Minority and Unrepresented Caucuses while Dr. Khaira is psychiatry resident and an APA Foundation leadership fellow and the incoming chair for the assembly committee of resident fellow members.

Dr. Khaira referenced a crucial study published in JAMA Psychiatry, which identifies suicide as the leading cause of death among Asian American youth aged 15-24. The study revealed alarming statistics, noting a 72% increase in suicide rates among males and a staggering 125% increase among females between 1999 and 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic was identified as a critical factor exacerbating this increasingly urgent public health concern. The rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, increasing dramatically by 339% between 2020 and 2021, has profoundly affected the mental health of Asian American youth, contributing to elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, said Dr. Khaira. Additionally, social isolation experienced during the pandemic, alongside intensified social media use, has worsened these mental health challenges by promoting negative comparisons and exacerbating feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.

Dr. Vo and Dr. Khaira underscored the significance of culturally responsive care, stressing the need to tackle barriers like parental stigma and reluctance to seek mental health services. “Studies have shown that AAPI youth face significantly high risk of parents declining mental health services and a lack of initiation following mental health risk assessments amongst parents in this population,” said Dr. Khaira. She said treating every patient individually is key, and meeting families where they are. Dr. Vo echoed this sharing that “sometimes these kids already feel unheard and unseen by their parents, so educating families and parents to have a conversation with their youth can be powerful.”

They advocated extending mental health awareness beyond traditional clinical environments into accessible community settings, including schools, places of worship, and culturally significant community hubs such as grocery stores as well as leveraging respected community figures to facilitate conversations and normalize mental health dialogue.

The conversation also touched on the unique struggles faced by youth who hold intersecting marginalized identities, such as queer or undocumented Asian American teens, emphasizing the necessity for tailored, supportive resources within their communities. Encouragingly, the podcast noted that medical trainees and early career psychiatrists are increasingly engaging in advocacy and cultural humility, actively contributing fresh, empathetic perspectives to mental health practice.

Concluding with a proactive call to action, Dr. Vo and Dr. Khaira encouraged mental health professionals, medical students, and early career practitioners to forge active partnerships with local organizations, join a local APA district branch and participate in local advocacy initiatives, and teach culturally responsive care. Their collective aim is to foster education, raise awareness, reduce stigma, and ultimately ensure more accessible, culturally informed mental health support for Asian American youth.