Mental Illness Identity Development and Service Utilization Experiences Among Asian Americans With Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study

Objective: Research is significantly lacking on exploring how Asian Americans with mental illness (AAMI) begin to accept their mental illness and identifying factors that might have a significant impact on mental health service utilization. To bridge the gap, this study aimed to explore mental illness identity development and service utilization experiences among AAMI using a qualitative, narration-based research design. Method: Twenty-one AAMI participated in the semistructured interview. Interview questions were designed to assess the participants' perceived experiences of mental illness identity development, microaggression/discrimination experiences, overall positive and negative experiences when using mental health services, and suggestions to make mental health services accessible to AAMI. Thematic analysis was applied to identify key themes throughout multiple steps of coding. Results: Analyses yielded 13 major themes related to the following: (a) contributing factors influencing mental illness identity development, (b) contributing factors utilizing mental health services, and (c) suggestions to make mental health services more available to AAMI. More specifically, it was worth noting that family played a significant role as either a support system or a barrier to adjusting to participants' mental illness and service utilization. Participants also stated that negative attitudes toward mental illness within the Asian community hindered the development of positive self-concept and utilization of mental health services. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Findings from the present study are expected to assist service providers in implementing culturally informed practices when working with AAMI and developing effective strategies to enhance mental health literacy and service utilization. Impact and Implications This qualitative research identified major themes from shared experiences among Asian Americans with mental illness, which indicated that Asian cultural values, family influences, and mental illness stigma impacted mental illness identity development and mental health service utilization. Findings highlight the need for outreach education programs in Asian American communities to reduce mental illness stigma and promote culturally sensitive service programs to improve service-seeking behaviors.