By Jason Wu, Illustration: Celia Jacobs/The Washington Post, The Washington Post, October 6, 2022
Researchers have found that pandemic experiences of racial discrimination were associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression.This was certainly true for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the past few years, who endured bigotry and racist attacks after President Donald Trump labeled the coronavirus the “Chinese virus.”
As an Asian therapist, I witnessed firsthand the effect xenophobia and racism had on my community. One client said they started to question whether moving to America was the right decision, as they hadn’t realized that racism toward Asians was so prevalent. Another talked about the hours they would spend scrolling through videos of hate incidents, feeling angry, anxious and hopeless about the future and the potential for change. One client even said they started to carry a pocketknife when they went out in public.
Before the pandemic, about 20 percent of my clients were Asian-identified individuals. Now it’s closer to 60 percent. Bango Gancinia, a psychologist in Utah, said he has more such individuals coming to therapy and with higher levels of distress than his other clients.
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