Mental Health in Asian Family Caregivers and Older Adults

Caring for a relative can have a profound effect on mental health, especially in the Asian community. Before you can solve a problem or work on it, you need to first start by defining it.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, more than a quarter of American adults are living with a diagnosable mental disorder. This statistic isn’t as easily transferable to Asian Americans who may be looking for help because mental health is often a taboo. 

Mental health is an important conversation to be had in every family, and we’re here to give you permission to share your honest feelings without guilt. 

A personal mental health journey with caregiving 

I am a former family caregiver and didn’t experience the mental health effects that usually come with it, until after my grandmother’s passing. In my world, everything was business as usual, going to school or going to work, and then coming home to provide care. There wasn’t room in my schedule for looking inward to pay attention to what was going on inside. 

I experienced frequent panic attacks following my grandmother’s funeral, for years to follow, including present-day. They’re much less frequent, but they serve as a reminder of the necessity to take care of myself. 

Taking a step back even further, I didn’t see myself as a caregiver when I was caring for my grandmother. I was just doing what I was expected to do as a granddaughter. I lived with my grandmother, mom, and aunt, experiencing the typical multi-generational household. 

Why is mental health an important conversation for Asian family caregivers? 

Family caregivers experience higher rates of mental health concerns than those who aren’t caring for loved ones. This is an experience that is six times more common in Asian people than other demographics, as it’s deeply ingrained in our culture to give back to those who cared for us. 

Caregiving often falls disproportionately on one person’s shoulders, a large responsibility to bare. Without proper support and resources, this can create an environment of anxiety, depression, loss of work, burnout, and many other negative side effects.

If we don’t start a conversation on mental health, we are doing ourselves a disservice in managing our own health. If our cup isn’t full, it’s extremely hard to pour our energy into others. 

As family caregivers, we need to ensure that we are caring for ourselves first to give our best to those we care for. It sounds antithetical, but it’s the right thing to do for our loved ones. 

Why is mental health and well-being important for Asian family caregivers as it pertains to their loved ones? 

From experience, my ability to care for my grandmother stemmed from my ability to be present, pay attention, and think critically. These things couldn’t be done if I wasn’t at my best. 

First, let's define what I mean at my best. This means: I light a candle, open up my laptop, and write about what I’m feeling, and watch some funny movies with a cup of coffee in hand. Being my best means taking back some of my time every day to recharge my batteries. 

Yes, we as people have our own batteries. Many different kinds. I have a social battery that gets drained when I am in too many back-to-back meetings or in crowded spaces for an extended period of time. This also extends to caregiving, we have to know when our batteries need to be plugged in. That’s before all of the juice is gone. 

When we seek out mental health treatment or resources, this has a direct impact on those we are caring for. Research from the American Psychological Association said: “As caregivers experience decreases in depression in response to treatment, so do their care recipients.” 

Older adults are very aware of their surroundings and can often pick up on subtle cues in our behavior, and it’s important for caregivers to ensure that we bring an environment of positivity and encouragement. 

For example, there is a lot of stigma associated with dementia. When we learn to embrace the strengths that our loved ones do have, that can begin a critical turning point in your relationship with your care recipient. 

Mental health needs to be a priority for you too. 

I’ve done some independent research on family caregivers, and all of them report 15+ symptoms that they experience as a direct result. This includes: 

● Anxiety 

● Depression 

● Weight loss 

● Weight gain 

● Injury 

● Isolation and withdrawal

And more. 

What does this show? It means that caregiving isn’t just something that we do for someone else. Caregiving is something that we must give back to ourselves too. Allow your loved ones the opportunity to participate in that process too. 

Listening to the stories of those who have lived longer than us can be therapeutic for us and them too. 

Caregiving is also a balancing act, and it’s so important that you don’t just “do everything” for your loved one. The narrative of dependence and fragility as we age is common, but not true. There are many things that we gain with age. Let your loved ones help and do what they can. 

It’s good for your mental health too. If you haven’t had a conversation about mental health with yourself yet, start there. If you’re comfortable, start a dialogue with your family too. 

As caregivers, we all have to look out for each other and it starts by making sure that we are all whole. We have to care for ourselves before we can care for others.