Considerations for working with Asian Americans across the psychosis spectrum following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is it about?

This article outlines several easy-to-implement considerations for clinicians and researchers working with Asian Americans following the COVID-19 pandemic. We outline suggestions for considering the immense diversity of this populations with respect to culture, country of origin and generational status, self-identification, and pandemic related precipitants of psychosis including exposure to trauma, experience of racialized trauma, and anti-Asian public health messages.

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Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic we have already seen increases in mental health concerns across all populations. The pandemic precipitated anti-Asian rhetoric related to the spread of COVID-19 and there has been a notable rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, racism, and violence. As psychosis is often precipitated by traumatic events, we believe that Asian Americans-- who already under-utilize mental healthcare services-- may be at higher risk for unmet mental health care needs.