“Many of these tragedies could have been avoided if there was less stigma and early intervention,” said Elaine Peng, president of the Chinese Community Mental Health Association, based in Castro Valley, California. . It is one of the few groups in Silicon Valley and elsewhere that cater to troubled Cantonese and Mandarin speakers. “It's unfortunate that no one realized the severity of his problem and couldn't get him help sooner.”
Many details and motives behind Mr. Chen's alleged murder of Mr. Yu remain unclear and may only emerge at the trial later this year. It is also unclear whether Mr. Chen will plead his case on grounds of mental health. But experts say the problems the couple are facing fit a common pattern in counseling work.
Chinese and other Asian engineers working in the United States often have strong educational backgrounds before landing jobs at Google, Meta, and other large American companies. Chen, from Sichuan province, and Yu, from Jilin province, were top high school students before attending Tsinghua University in Beijing and the University of California, San Diego.
“They were able to lead an enviable life due to their perfect academic and professional backgrounds,” said the Global Times, a nationalist newspaper affiliated with People's Daily., said in a report on the murder case.
But once the euphoria subsides, many immigrants who have had stressful careers are faced with challenges for the first time. Spoiled by their parents and touted as child prodigies by their teachers, their personalities are vulnerable and may not be equipped to deal with setbacks.
“They are hit with nostalgia for their home country, and suddenly they are faced with a huge gap between expectations and reality. That's when they start having problems,” said Penn, who explains that a significant number of her group's clients He said that part belongs to the IT department.
“This generation of Chinese children, elite or otherwise, has grown up under extreme pressure in a fiercely competitive environment with no breathing room. It's very toxic.”
Shooting by Chinese doctoral student stirs anxiety among Asian Americans
Shooting by Chinese doctoral student stirs anxiety among Asian Americans
News of the Santa Clara murders on January 16 shocked Asian and Asian American communities around the world. The similarities were unsettling to Lily Yang, who graduated from Tsinghua University, married a man she met as a student, and then worked for her 27 years in the high-voltage technology industry.
“I went to the same school as them. They were lovers, and they came to the U.S. a few months apart, so I had a lot of empathy towards the end,” said Yang, who is originally from Guangxi and recently retired from Intel. said.
“It was really shocking and I couldn't think about it, how could something like this happen? From what I've read, it's been happening for a while. But it's really tragic.”
At the heart of domestic violence cases is the urge to control a partner, compounded by jealousy, discomfort with a partner's success, or calls for divorce. According to the National Institutes of Health, men are the primary, though not exclusive, perpetrators of violence, as many young people have low self-esteem and have endured childhood abuse.
Experts say domestic violence is often more prevalent among immigrants who are socially and culturally isolated, where power imbalances are exacerbated and language barriers, ignorance, and institutional pressures are exacerbated. Considering speciesism and other factors, it is said to be difficult for victims to leave the country or seek help.
“Statistics show that more immigrants are killed in the United States because there are more barriers to physical separation,” said Grace Huang, policy director at the Asia-Pacific Institute for Gender-Based Violence. It is related.” .
“You may have very controlling behavior, but it doesn't actually manifest as physical violence. But when someone decides, 'I'm done with this,' the ultimate 's act of control is to kill them. And it's actually not that unusual. ”
Some immigrants from Asia are concerned about domestic violence, especially those who traditionally subjugate their wives to their husbands, as detailed in the Confucian text “The Three Obediences and Four Virtues,” which calls for women to obey their fathers, husbands, and husbands. There are people from cultures that embrace Confucianism, which places a hierarchy under the . The son also remains “humble and moral.”
In Asia, efforts to combat spousal violence are progressing, with China passing the Domestic Violence Law in 2015 in response to the 1995 United Nations World Conference on Women. Mongolia and Mongolia often have strong Confucian traditions. South Korea.
As news of Yu's murder spread, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen called on the public to work with law enforcement to stop domestic violence. But experts say spousal abuse in Asia is often treated as a personal problem rather than a crime, and counseling and social services are often lacking, especially in rural areas.
Is underreporting to blame for California's decline in anti-Asian hate attacks?
Is underreporting to blame for California's decline in anti-Asian hate attacks?
According to a study by the National Institutes of Health, China has 0.036 clinical psychologists per 10,000 people, compared to 1.8 in the UK and 6 in the US. 93.6 percent of patients and caregivers in China misunderstand mental illnesses, which prevents them from developing. receiving appropriate care;
“In China, if someone reports you for domestic violence, they often just say it's a 'family matter.' Then the husband or the person doing the violence can say, 'We'll try harder.' Just say that and that's it,” Peng said. “Little do they know, there is often no tolerance in domestic violence cases in the United States.”
While emphasizing that violence is never justified, those trying to uncover the factors behind Yu's murder believe that immigrant technology workers benefiting from companies with H-1B skilled worker visas are He points out some of the pressures he faces.
Job insecurity has become the norm, and approximately 230,000 engineers have been laid off since January 2023. As the industry is increasingly held responsible for the polarization of society, generative artificial intelligence is becoming more and more important. There are growing concerns that they will replace humans.
According to the 2023 Mental Health in Technology Report by healthcare provider APN, 77 percent of tech workers blame increased mental stress on layoffs, while a survey by management firm AppDynamics found that 57 percent say they feel burnt out.
Big tech companies like Google and Amazon offer counseling and mental health programs, but employees, especially foreign-born ones, are often hesitant to take advantage of them.
According to research firm Censuswide, more than 30% of stressed tech workers avoid seeking treatment for fear of being criticized by co-workers or family members or losing their jobs.
Asian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, led by the Chinese, and make up about 24 million people, or about 8 percent of the U.S. population. But they also face many issues, especially men, who can face great cultural pressure to be superior, hide their emotions, and avoid “looking weak.” are also being worked on, experts said.
Given family ties, these attitudes often spill over into the next American-born generation, says Christina Wong, a public relations consultant and founder of the Fruit and Flower Company. Christina Wong was born in Southern California to a first-generation Cantonese father who had physical and mental disabilities. Verbal abuse.
“My mother has started to stand up for herself more now, but she still won't leave,” Wong said. Traditionally, “baby boys are worshiped as very precious objects and are pampered and treated. My father was the same and basically spoiled baby boys are common and they They don't think there's anything wrong with them.”
Asian Americans face mental health crisis as attacks rise
Asian Americans face mental health crisis as attacks rise
“The immigrant experience is very complex,” she said, citing competition in Asia born out of historical poverty. She said, “Even the definition of success within Asian cultures and families is very difficult and it puts us in a state of mental stress, but we can't show it.”
If Chen is convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors also alleged that Chen targeted vulnerable victims and used “serious violence” with a “high degree of brutality, viciousness and callousness.” The next public hearing is scheduled for mid-April.
Mr. Chen appeared at a hearing last month wearing a white helmet and suggested he was suicidal, Mr. Peng said. He has not acted in his own defense, and his lawyer declined to say whether he had undergone a psychiatric evaluation.
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A surge in anti-Asian attacks in the US sparks debate about the impact on mental health
A surge in anti-Asian attacks in the US sparks debate about the impact on mental health
Peng founded the association in 2012 after realizing the great need for Chinese language counseling after her husband committed suicide and her daughter became depressed.
Initially, most of the callers on the “warm line” were Cantonese speakers. Since 2016, as the group has gained recognition and won public service awards, it has also attracted a growing number of Chinese-speaking customers, in line with migration patterns, in addition to second-generation Chinese who prefer English.
The association's biggest problem remains a lack of resources and volunteers. There is a problem with language ability without sensitivity. “They might say, 'Do you want to kill yourself?' At that point, the client hangs up,” Penn said.
Domestic abuse, tech worker stress, cultural alienation and denial all mix together, and many first-generation “tiger” parents wonder why their stressed-out children talk to imaginary friends or eat. I'm wondering if he will refuse it.
“When our operators suggest to parents that their adult children are struggling with mental health issues, parents often say, 'No, no, we just want it resolved quickly,'” Penn said. he said. “There’s a real lack of understanding and we care too much about how people see us.”
Asian parents' sense of success only increases mental health stress
Asian parents' sense of success only increases mental health stress
Yang, an Intel alumnus, initially turned to the nonprofit National Alliance on Mental Illness after her daughters were struggling with stress during their college years, but the meetings she attended were attended by Asians. It turned out that not a single person was included.
“Wow, what just happened?” she recalls thinking. “Am I the only one who's unhappy or doesn't everyone else get sick?” Eventually she met Mr. Penn, then joined Intel's program that provides financial incentives to retirees who support nonprofit organizations. I used it.
After the pandemic, Mr. Yang brought his management expertise to Warmline, helping to recruit more operators and building a training and monitoring structure and telephone network for remote operators.
The group has been slow to promote the service, wary of being overwhelmed, but has received inquiries from across the United States and China.
“Elaine is a very nice person, but she's just a person,” Yang said.
Since Yoo's murder, calls to them have increased, and there may be a silver lining in the increased awareness of domestic violence, stress and counseling. “I hope that tragic events like this open people's eyes,” she said.