Oral

This session focuses on mental health issues and tobacco use among Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States. This session examines how cultural, psychosocial, and environmental factors shape the understanding and the detection of different mental health disorders, which will be paramount to raising awareness about and improving approaches targeting these understudied issues among the Asian and Pacific Islander community.

Session Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: (1) Learn how cultural, psychosocial, and environmental factors influence tobacco use among Asian American communities in Maryland; (2) Describe the prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation and whether perceived racial discrimination and family cohesion are are associated with depression and suicidal ideation among Asian American men and women in the United States; (3) Examine the role of generational status, ethnicity, and mental disorders in provider inquiry of mental health status among Asian Americans; (4) Articulate the difference between Asian Indian immigrants and Caucasians in their presentation of mental illness and the effect of socio-cultural factors on beliefs about mental illness in Asian Indian immigrants; (5) discuss basic information about epilepsy knowledge, attitudes, and practices among Chinese and Vietnamese people living in the United States; and (6) Formulate recommendations for intervention, practice, and policy implications.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)