This one is a personal story of a day in the life of DJ Chuang, who works as a consultant and sometimes travels for work. After landing in Atlanta on an uneventful flight, he gets taken on an unforgettable adventure that started with the rental car.
Category: Stories
Why is it difficult to express feelings as an Asian American? How does one learn to understand and express one’s own emotions? How does social media contribute to stereotypes about depression? Meagan shares about her struggles with both anxiety and depression in high school and college.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
We are having honest talk about healthy living. We will talk about hard topics like sexuality, depression, anxiety, family history, mental illness. There is no shame in sharing one’s pain.
CREDITS
- Made possible by California Mental Health Services Authority calmhsa.org in collaboration with Asian American Christian Counseling Service aaccs.org and support from viewers like you!
- Produced by the Erasing Shame Team—DJ Chuang, Natalie Hsieh, Eunice Lee
- Videography by Brooke Lee and Soorim Lee
- Video Bumper by Michael Chang, mighty.la
What does a balanced healthy life look like? Brooke Lee interviews her therapist mother Dr. Rachel Lee. Here’s a Korean American daughter and mother having a heart-to-heart conversation and we get to listen in.
They have an honest talk about how her family prepared Brooke for life, but hard times still come. Brooke details difficulties about her first year at college and being away from home.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
We are having honest talk about healthy living. We will talk about hard topics like sexuality, depression, anxiety, family history, mental illness. There is no shame in sharing one’s pain.
CREDITS
- Made possible by California Mental Health Services Authority calmhsa.org in collaboration with Asian American Christian Counseling Service aaccs.org and support from viewers like you!
- Produced by the Erasing Shame Team—DJ Chuang, Natalie Hsieh, Eunice Lee
- Videography by Brooke Lee and Soorim Lee
- Video Bumper by Michael Chang, mighty.la
Karis grew up feeling confused and isolated about her ethnic backgrounds, both Caucasian and Asian. She didn’t know who she was or where she belonged. That loss of identity turned into many kinds of personal struggles and issues: eating disorder, drinking, and hurting.
When she finally told someone, she began her journey towards healthy living. Her story shows that there’s no shame in asking for help and caring for one’s own life.
ABOUT THIS SERIES:
We are having honest talk about healthy living. We will talk about hard topics like sexuality, depression, anxiety, family history, mental illness. There is no shame in sharing one’s pain.
CREDITS:
- Made possible by California Mental Health Services Authority calmhsa.org in collaboration with Asian American Christian Counseling Service aaccs.org and support from viewers like you!
- Produced by the Erasing Shame Team—DJ Chuang, Natalie Hsieh, Eunice Lee
- Videography by Brooke Lee and Soorim Lee
- Video Bumper by Michael Chang, mighty.la
How do social pressures in Korean and Asian American families contribute to mental health disorders? Can feelings of failure turn into depression?
Andrew has seen a lot: emotional neglect and performance anxiety. But he hit a breaking point when he tried to make everyone else happy.
Listen to him reveal how he learned to express his needs as a person and started living in a healthier way.
ABOUT THIS SERIES:
We are having honest talk about healthy living. We will talk about hard topics like sexuality, depression, anxiety, family history, mental illness. There is no shame in sharing one’s pain.
CREDITS:
- Made possible by California Mental Health Services Authority calmhsa.org in collaboration with Asian American Christian Counseling Service aaccs.org and support from viewers like you!
- Produced by the Erasing Shame Team—DJ Chuang, Natalie Hsieh, Eunice Lee
- Videography by Brooke Lee and Soorim Lee
- Video Bumper by Michael Chang, mighty.la
How does mental health get affected by career changes? How is mental health related to fear of disappointment? Annie Choi shares her story and healing journey. She learns that acceptance is a step on the path towards future health.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
Our 2018 summer series, Erasing Shame about Mental Health in Asian American communities. We are having honest talk about healthy living, by Asian Americans for Asian Americans and everyone else too.
CREDITS:
- Made possible by California Mental Health Services Authority http://calmhsa.org in collaboration with Asian American Christian Counseling Service http://aaccs.org and support from viewers like you!
- Produced by the Erasing Shame Team—DJ Chuang, Natalie Hsieh, Eunice Lee
- Interview by Jeremiah Chuang
- Videography by Michael Kitada
- Video Bumper by Michael Chang, http://mighty.la
- Audio Mixing by YaBo Audio http://yaboaudio.com
Dr. Rie Mizuki shares about her experiences with having depression, anxiety, and insomnia. She has lived in Japan and the USA and speaks to the cultural shame involved. As a therapist, having both professional training and personal experiences greatly helps people cope with depression.
If you think you might have depression, there is help. Consider options for treatment and support. See erasingshame.com/resources
ABOUT THIS SERIES:
We are having honest talk about healthy living. We will talk about hard topics like sexuality, depression, anxiety, family history, mental illness. There is no shame in sharing one’s pain.
CREDITS:
- Made possible by California Mental Health Services Authority calmhsa.org in collaboration with Asian American Christian Counseling Service aaccs.org and support from viewers like you!
- Produced by the Erasing Shame Team—DJ Chuang, Natalie Hsieh, Eunice Lee
- Interviews by Jeremiah Chuang
- Videography by Michael Kitada
- Video Bumper by Michael Chang, mighty.la
- Audio Mixing by YaBo Audio yaboaudio.com
It took many years before I found the courage to get help for depression, because it was so hard to overcome the stigma and shame that I needed professional help. Turns out I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Having help from counseling, medication, and a community of faith has given me much healing and hope for a better life. Watch the video of this story from DJ Chuang.
My Dad passed away last year (May 2011) after having a strong 2.5 years before that. The stroke put him on a slow and steady downward path of declining health, first with memory loss, emotions out of control, then loss of mobility, loss of speaking. Ending with loss of life. Caregiving in a Chinese family context is filled with filial piety and love in action. It is a hard road.
DJ Chuang and brother Deef Chuang talk about the life and end of life matters with their Father, giving candid insights through their story as Chinese / Asian Americans – recorded via ustream.tv on 5/25/11; also see Remembering Bob Chih-Pao Chuang at djchuang.com/2011/remembering-bob-chih-pao-chuang/