Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States but remain severely underrepresented in the area of maternal mental health (MMH). Until recently, there had been no Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)-specific MMH resources and very limited research on MMH and the AAPI population. That’s why the mental health app Expectful has created a new set of resources specifically for Asian-American moms dealing with maternal mental health disorders with Cindy Herrick, Strategic Partnerships & National Campaigns Lead for 2020 Mom, MMH patient expert and advocate, and Certified Peer Support Specialist in Maternal Mental Health.
Along with Dr. Deepika Goyal, PhD, FNP, professor at The Valley Foundation School of Nursing, nurse practitioner at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and a leading researcher on MMH, Cindy has joined Expectful in working to raise awareness about the AAPI community and MMH disorders. Together, Cindy and Deepika share their maternal mental health experiences and how they became advocates: Cindy in the area of policy and awareness building and Deepika with her research efforts.
Years ago, maternal mental health was often a siloed and taboo topic. Advocates were simply fighting to have MMH mainstreamed and to be heard as a collective. However, as the topic of MMH has been normalized and thankfully made its way into mainstream discussions, the time has come to talk about Asian moms and MMH. The growing AAPI population and the recent influx of stressors for the AAPI population create an urgent need for a call to action to fund more resources, research, and the development of culturally-sensitive interventions. With adequate resources, support and funding, we can all work to promote the health and welfare of Asian mothers and help them and their families thrive.
Read more at Mother.ly.
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