Disclaimer: The following article is simply an opinion and is in no way representative of every person’s experience.  Nor is the photo above meant in any way to identify a particular student.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. Many of us high school kids often feel stressed — especially at this point in the year — with feelings of hopelessness and tension possibly taking hold.

Everyone has their own obstacles, and we all deal with them differently. Some of us are able to internalize our problems, sort them out on our own, and move on. Others might have a harder time doing so, and they may need to seek help or find someone to talk to. Either way, it’s all relative, and there is no single solution that works for everyone.

With that in mind, what causes people to have these different approaches to their problems? I believe that, to some degree, it’s influenced by how someone was raised and/or their cultural values.

Some cultures tend to be more accepting of non-conformist views and ideas that may be different from the norm, and, as a result, those brought up in this environment may be more inclined to have open and honest discussions about the struggles they face. My experience, however, is a little different.

Traditional beliefs across many Asian cultures emphasize values such as respect for elders, achievement, and conformity. Anyone who is Asian or is familiar with these values would understand the importance and centrality of them to their culture.

In addition to adhering to those values, it’s often expected of children of Asian immigrants to do well in school and extracurriculars and attend a prestigious college. This could potentially place large amounts of pressure — coming from concerned parents, teachers, and even their own peers — on a growing teenager’s mind.

In my own Indian culture, there seems to always be a burning desire for some parents to lionize their child’s achievements in the face of others at every opportunity possible, setting the stage for even higher expectations from everyone who knows the kid. The constant push to do more and be more is often overwhelming, especially when parents will compare their children to see who’s doing “better.”

“Whenever I’ve felt overwhelmed, it hasn’t really been something I could explain to my mom because she thinks of it as an issue that can just go away in a few hours,” explained junior Varsha Kaveti. “[Sometimes] Asian parents may not be able to understand what mental health actually means, and I think it’s because they want their child to succeed so much that they overlook the negative effects of all the pressure that the kids receive from that behavior.”

I’ve often heard mental health conditions be labeled as temporary or fake, and people who have them are called “sensitive” or “attention-seekers.” Many adults constantly attribute the appearance of mental health issues to social media as well, saying that people use it as an outlet for their “insignificant” problems.

Even among my own Asian-American peers, all of us expect so much out of each other. As we see our friends and classmates excelling at things, we feel that we have to do more to “keep up,” and thus, the pressure mounts.

The fear of reaching out for help seems to be prevalent. If a child is struggling in some area, and parents or friends find out about it, the child is sometimes seen as inferior to those who don’t need help, largely because of the gross importance of conformity and achievement.

I’ve always been asked by adults what I want to be when I grow up, what college I want to go to, what classes I’m taking, and what activities I’m doing. A lot of it was even asked before I entered high school, so obviously I wasn’t yet sure about a college or career. Accordingly, I went through my freshman and sophomore years thinking that uncertainty was a bad thing and that I needed to have everything planned out, or else I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything in life.

This “pressure cooker” environment forces many Asian-American children to push aside their feelings for the sake of their perceived “betterment” by making themselves stand out to their peers, teachers, and parents.

I feel that the pattern of mental health being downplayed within my community and across several other Asian communities is an unspoken truth. Asking for help should never be seen as a sign of weakness, and understanding the stigma can hopefully help to improve the well-being of millions of young people worldwide.