By Dale Dagar Maglalang, Assistant Professor at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University

It’s college application season. For many high school seniors across the country, this is a time of high stress as they meticulously make a case for why they deserve a spot in some of the country’s most selective colleges. However, the pressure to be admitted to a selective college can come with a cost—for some, even their own life, particularly for Asian American youth.

Suicide is now the leading cause of death for Asian American youth between 15 to 24 years old. In fact, suicide rates have doubled in this population at a rate of 3.6 to 7.1 per 100,000 between 1999 to 2021. Disaggregated data on suicidality in Asian Americans reveals further disparities. Among Asian American youth aged 15 to 19 years old, suicide rates are highest among Korean, Vietnamese, and particularly Southeast Asian youths such as Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, et cetera. This is a growing concern since Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the country, increasing from 10.5 million to 18.9 million between 2000 and 2019, and is projected to grow to 35.8 million by 2060.

One of the primary contributors to poor mental health and suicide among Asian American youth is the Model Minority Myth (MMM). This concept refers to the stereotype that Asian Americans are more likely to achieve academic and economic success relative to other people of color.

To read the entire article: The Model Minority Myth Is Killing Asian American Youth | Opinion – Newsweek