Hanh's Story Pt 1 (of 2): Daughter of Vietnamese-American Immigrants Discusses How both Cultures Impacted her Bipolar Disorder
July is Minorities in Mental Health 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?
--Jessica Lynn Gimeno
Wanna hear the rest of the National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month series?
--Finish Hanh's story here in Part 2!
You may also like:
podcast "5 Things NOT to say + 5 Things TO SAY to a Depressed Person"
article "3 Bipolar Myths; How Catherine Zeta-Jones is Changing the Face of Bipolar Disorder"
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