Breaking the Silence on Mental Health While Keeping Cultural Identity with Vivien Lee

Content Warning: This episode discusses Depression, Anxiety, Rape, Sexual Assault, and Suicidal Ideation.  Vivien Lee recalls the first inklings of an existential crisis when she was eight years old, a feeling she would eventually connect with depression. As she grew older, Vivien endured severe trauma, threatening her mental health even further. For Vivien, the oldest of several children in a family that was part of Minnesota’s Hmong community, there was nowhere to go to talk about her distress. According to Vivien, mental health was not something that was discussed in her family. She felt that disclosing anything to her parents would be a form of “talking back” and she feared punishment for that. For all of us, the environment a person is raised in, their culture, history, traditions, can all impact one’s wellbeing, sometimes through generations. As an adult, who recently earned a Master’s Degree in marriage and family therapy, Vivien has worked hard to preserve her Hmong identity for herself and her kids while also establishing an openness and honesty that eluded her as a kid.   Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Sexual Abuse Help And Healing Hotline What Are the Signs of Child Sexual Abuse National Center for PTSD: Child Sexual Abuse Culture and Mental Health Social, cultural, and other diversity issues in the traumatic stress field Culture and Trauma The Influence of Culture and Society on Mental Health