Dbsalliance

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month! To kick off our series about minorities in mental health, we're starting with Hanh's story. Hanh, a 30-year old woman with Bipolar II, came to the U.S. when she was just 10-months old with her family through a refugee sponsorship program. She discusses turbulent times like the Fall of Saigon, concentration camps, growing up in a Vietnamese-American family, and her earliest memories of depression and mania. With refreshing insights on how being a racial minority in America affects one's ability to get help for bipolar disorder, Hanh teaches us about the crushing effects of mental illness stigma. But her story also offers hope for young people who do not yet have the support of their parents as well as insights for parents struggling to understand their children. Your Thoughts?: Do you have a difficult time making your parents understand how you feel? What cultural backgrounds would you like to see Flipswitch discuss?