The pandemic brought to light the vulnerability of ethnic groups. I believe that the government is now more aware of their needs as citizens, taxpayers and children. They are no longer viewed as a group to be ignored, but as a community to be integrated into.
Then you’ll say, “Well, these people aren’t doing anything right.” Their problem. They are part of extended families. They spread the disease. It is impossible to understand what’s going on. Since the 1970s, our community has matured and developed. I’d say that even I believe in not hiding mental health issues but rather coming forward and talking about them. There has been an evolution and I believe that this has helped.
VS Let’s discuss that shift for a moment. This is not a brand new problem. As you mentioned, this has been happening since the 1970s. South Asian women were among the highest reported suicide rates of Canadians in the 1970s. Many South Asians have been struggling with mental illness for many years. You’re saying that it’s changed, and it’s a good thing, but the problem is still there. What are the reasons why South Asian communities struggled silently? What are the issues that play a role there?
SB We have some unique problems. Although South Asian Canadians have lived in the province for over 100 years, there is still a large influx of new immigrants. As they continue to arrive, the newer immigrants will bring with them traditional ways of handling situations. Look within your family. Do not let this slip. Do not let others know that there are mental health problems in the family. This will tarnish our collective identity. In the South Asian culture, the family is sacred. This is at the core of all we do. People will sacrifice their individuality for the sake of the family. Unfortunately, this is what happens with mental health. We tend to not get the help that an individual needs, thinking that a larger group or collective family will provide the support they need.
Maneet pointed out that sometimes the support we receive is appropriate and other times it’s not. It’s partly because we don’t have access to the services that we need. First, the benefits don’t exist. If they are there, we don’t use them. Three: stigma is still a big problem, and it continues. There was stigma even with COVID. Vinita, I would like to add that we can no longer see ourselves as one homogeneous group. We cannot say that all South Asian Canadians are the same. Every community has groups of people who deal with issues differently. We also need to provide a variety of access options. This is not happening, and I believe it. We are homogenized to a certain extent.