Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a public affairs special focusing on the biggest issues impacting you. This week, here's Ryan Gorman. Thanks so much for joining us here on iHeartRadio Communities. I'm Ryan Gorman, and we have a few very important conversations lined up for you. In a bit, we'll continue our ongoing discussions on mental health for Mental Health Awareness Month, but right now to get
things started. May is also Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and joining me now is the co founder of Stop AAP I Hate, Cynthia Chas. Cynthia, thanks so much for taking a few minutes to come on the show, and let's dive right in and talk about your experience growing up here in the US and some of the discrimination you faced. Well, Ryan,
thank you so much for having me. You know, at a young age, I think I probably didn't have the complete understanding of and the vocabulary and the critical thinking around you know, racism, that it was structural embedded in so many of our institutions. But I do have very vivid memories, for example, of my parents, you know, trying to advocate for my brother who had a learning disability and not being able to speak English and just being
ignored. Also having my teachers say things like, you're not like the other Asian children or students in my class. You're being too vocal and you speak out too much. And that was a really interesting message to receive at a young age. And also housing discrimination as well. So it is a memory, a core memory, and it certainly defines, you know what, I
think we need to do better around in this country. When you're a child and you're in school and your teacher says something like that to you, that you're more vocal than the other Asian students, how do you process something like that And were you even able to at the time or is that something that now that you look back on that moment you have a better understanding of what
was happening there. Well, I think that's a really difficult message to receive at an impressionable age, and from a teacher that you know, you really look up to. Israelly next to your parents, your your next role model that you that you're under and have exposure to. And so I really looked up to my teacher and I was really perplexed by that, but I knew I knew that it was it was something that I think questioned my understanding of
who should speak out and why it was. I think it was also gendered too, So I think at the time I knew that was it was jarring, but I think upon reflection, it made me think about like the messages that teachers convey to their students every day, and especially since schools are such an important institution in terms of addressing bias and discrimination, and so we have
we have more to do on that front. I'm joined by Cynthia Chad, co founder of Stop aapi Hate, which you can learn more about at stopaapihete dot org. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and she's with me here to talk about her organization and a whole lot more so. You were named to the Time one hundred list of the most Influential People in twenty twenty one. As you worked your way up to eventually become recognized on such
a tremendous list like that, what else did you experience? What other challenges did you experience along the way? Well, I was really surprised by that recognition, certainly, and it was such an honor. But really, when I think back, I mean it's really the work of the collective community.
I'm a part of a long line of advocates who have been really speaking out about all forms of discrimination, and you know, I started off really looking at the experiences of immigrants, of women, of young people, and throughout. The through line for me is what are the barriers that are in place?
What do we need to do as a society to hold our publicans to tuitions accountable Because really what we want to uphold is this ideal that regardless of who you are, where you come from, what you look like, that you should be afforded the same equal protections and rights that is afforded to everyone. And that's an ideal that we need to keep working towards. And I'm afraid during this time and in more recent history, we have really taken many
many steps backwards. And I think that's something that all Americans should be concerned about, because if it's one group at a particular time, all of us are really vulnerable to mistreatment, to scapegoating. And that's something again that we have to come together around. How did the creation of your organization Stop AAPI
Hate come about? Well, at the onset of the pandemic, we realized immediately that COVID was being racialized, and the former president and other elected officials were referring to what we now know as COVID nineteen as the Kung flu virus, the China virus. And so we knew from history and from more recent accounts that we needed to do something, and so on March nineteenth to twenty
twenty, our coalition launched stop EPI dot org. And this was a way for us to get a better understanding of the experiences, the everyday experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with race based hate and discrimination, and so our site became pository for people to tell us some of the most harrowing experiences that they had. I mean imagine Ryan that this was a fearful time for everybody, and while people were trying to keep safe, Asian Americans were also confronted
with reality that they could be targeted. They experienced harassment and in some cases physical salts, discrimination, and so we launched not only to document and capture those stories, but so that we could develop responses, meaningful responses to address this hate. Your organization also does a lot of research on all of this.
Tell us about some of the recent findings. Well, one of the things that we did was we established that this was an issue, that it was pervasive, it was systemic, and so we receive reports from all over the country and we use that data to sound the alarms that this is a serious issue and we need to address it. We need to address the harm, we need to prevent this from happening, and there needs to be accountability.
So more recently, last year, we also did a survey that almost fifty percent of those that we surveyed said that they had experienced racism and discrimination. That's a really high number and it's nationally representative of the everyday experiences that members of our community have. And this is in the workplace settings, this is in the school system, this is where people are going about their day
daily lives. And that was really alarming to us. And so again we use these stories and the data to really push for meaningful change, and that's really what we've been about since we launched. There's the ability for those who go to your website stop aapihe dot org to report hate. What are you looking for there and what should people keep in mind if they were to utilize
that tool. Yes, it's so important that even you know, over four years later since we launched, it's so important that we encourage community members to continue to report incidents of hate. And there is a lot of fatigue right now and wanting to get past this period, but we want to remind our community members that it's important to hear your story, is that that we shouldn't endure this form of hate and discrimination because we want to continue to advocate that
this is still an issue and a problem in our community. We also offer it in multiple languages. That was really important that language barriers would not in any way inhibit people from reporting. And so, you know, we maintain people's private privacy and we don't share this with a third party to maintain confidentiality and so and we've you know, committed maintained that committed commitment, and so
it's a really safe way to share their story. And what we found ran is that when we surveyed and interview people that they said that it really helped to share their story, to report it because they want it amplified, they want something to be done, and that in and of itself was a really powerful act of agency self agency. I'm Ryan Gorman, joined by the co founder of Stop API Hate, Cynthia Chef, she's with me for Asian American
and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Tell us about the Spread Aapi Love message that you're trying to get across this month. Yeah, so I'm really excited to share. Spread API Love is a project of Stop API Hate and it was designed and launched specifically for Heritage Month, and at its heart, it's a storytelling campaign that really amplifies the voices of Asian Americans and Pacific founders through stories, and there's stories of resilience, of solidarity, of resistance from everyday community
members. It's a multi media national campaigns, so it's not just showcasing stories of APIs, but we're also asking community members to share their own stories. And so for us, you know, after four years of sounding the alarm of the latest wave of racism and hate against our community, what we're finding is that APIs want to center more affirmative narratives about who we are and the power that we have to create change. And so that's what really the campaign
is about. And of course anti Asian hate still remains a serious issue, but ran you know, we're much more than just victims of hate. We are richly diverse group of people who can hold simultaneously these concerns and fears, but also hold joy and power and cultural pride. And so that's the essence of our cam pain. And finally, what can everyone do to support the work you're doing at Stop API Hate. Well, there's so many ways that you can get involved, and it's so important not to look away, to
think that this is somebody else's problem. We would love it if your listeners would promote our reporting center because again, we need people to continue to report incidents of hate, and they don't have to be criminal in nature. It's really about collecting individual stories and we've done our best to uplift them wherever and whenever we can with our lawmakers. Secondly, the Spread API Love campaign again is really one where we want everybody to contribute their stories, their rich histories.
You know, we have these stereotypes that we are a monolith, and
in reality, we are richly diverse. We have twenty three million plus and growing, speaking over one hundred languages and dialects and coming from scores of different countries, and some of us have been here for six generations or more, and others are newcomers who are seeking a better life, and so this is a really important part of the narrative change that we need to do proactively to show the world that we are so much more than I think tragic headlines.
We have so much diversity, so much to celebrate, and it's really about our power. That we have strength through resilience and that we really believe that we are a part of this Thai racial democracy and affirm that we're part of the fabric of America and that's what actually makes us a great country. For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we're joined by Cynthia chaf co founder of Stop API Hate. You can learn more about all the work this organization
does and support that work at stopaapiheight dot org. Cynthia, thank you so much for the work you're doing on this issue and for taking time to come on the show. We really appreciate it. Thanks so much. Ryan.
All right, I'm Ryan Gorman here on iHeartRadio Communities, and now let me bring in my next guest for Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm joined by doctor Stephen Soffer, psychologist and CODE chief of the Division of Outpatient Behavioral Health and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Doctor Softwer, thanks so much for ticket a few minutes to come
on the show. And the first thing I want to dive into the signs that parents should be aware of that a child or teenager might be dealing with some mental health issues. Yeah, you know, we certainly look out for things that seem out of the ordinary when for people that know the child well,
so parents teachers are really good gauges for a the individual child. But also what is kind of what's expected for kids and teens at different ages or different stages, things where you know a child's experiencing more than the typical ups and downs of life or reacting to stressors in their lives. So kids that seem persistently anxious, seem to be persistently sad, are expressing feelings of hopelessness, that their behavior is just outside the ordinary of their typical behavior. They're
seeming more impulsive or more aggressive. Are all signs that something may be going on, they may need more help than than than typical. And would some of the signs be similar to what you might say in adults as well, lack of an appetite, no interest in doing things, stuff like that. Some are and some aren't. So for example, for depression, you know, depression in adults will tend to present more commonly as kind of like a
profound sadness. For kids and teenagers, they may have that persistent, profound sadness. They also might seem really irritable or are very emotionally reactive, more so than you would typically expect from from someone their age or level of development.
Withdrawal, withdrawal from normal activities is a really important sign. So we you know, really get concerned if kids are not just changing interest in activity so they used to like soccer and now they like aren't, but really kind of withdrawing from doing things that require that involve a social group that get them, you know, kind of like the normal kind of exercise or engagement outside
of the household that that we would only like them to see. What are some of the symptoms some of the the things we should look out for when it comes to anxiety in children and teens. Yeah, it's a great question. Anxiety is an interesting one because there's a certain degree to which anxiety is normative and kind of and expected, in fact kind of adoptive. You know, anxiety is the experience that we have that can keep us safer, keep
us away from threats to our safety. You know, what we really are looking out for when anxiety is a problem is when kind of that anxiety system is activated too frequently or to significantly, especially when there's not an identifiable threat
or a threat that is out of the ordinary. So, for example, a child who absolutely will not talk with people that they don't know, especially you know, particularly in like normal kind of everyday situations, ordering food at at a restaurant, talking to a teacher, things like that is a sign that it's anxiety gone awry, or anxiety that is really outside the boundaries of what's typical and adoptive and could be a really important sign that someone needs help
with that. Fortunately, anxiety is you know, like many other mental health conditions, there is good care, There is good treatment for helping people deal with or cope with excessive anxiety. Is there a certain age when these kinds of issues begin to emerge? How young are we talking for issues like depression and anxiety. Well, we can see signs of those things at really early
ages. You know, the preschool ages for example. And again where it becomes really challenging, especially in early ages, is some of that stuff is going to be pretty typical for that level of development. So anxiety about unfamiliar people for a two, three four year old is expected. It's adaptive.
We wouldn't necessarily on its surface consider it out to be a problem. However, over time, as children are developing into you know, you know, going to different levels of school, having more peer interactions, that could be a sign of an issue. The really interesting thing that we find is that many of the mental health conditions that we know of will have their initial presentation
prior to the age of fourteen. So many, you know, about fifty percent of mental illnesses are start by the age of fourteen, and you know, the earlier we can identify them and start to intervene, the better off the child can be, and the probably the more resources we don't have to
invest in someone who have a chronic mental health problem. I'm Ryan Gorman and for Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm joined by doctor Steven Soffer, psychologist and co chief of the Division of Outpatient Behavioral Health and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Is there a greater prevalence for these issues among the different genders boys and girls? There can be
depending on the condition, you know. Traditionally speaking, disruptive behavior disorders, things like attention depths of hyperactivity disorder, for example, have a higher prevalence among males than females. Things like depression and anxiety disorders may have a higher frequency among females compared to males. And are there other groups that are potentially more at risk? I know the LGBTQ plus community often gets brought up during
a discussion like this, especially among teens in that group. What have we seen there? Yes, you know, it is a great example, especially for things like depression and soucidality. Unfortunately, the LGBTQ plus population tends that seems to have a higher frequency of experiencing suicidal ideation and making suicide attempts. We are, you know, overall, just really concerned about our teenagers, you know, for things like depression and suicidality. We are unfortunately seeing increased
rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Approximately fourteen percent of suicide deaths are for youth, Our young adults between ages of ten and twenty four, which is you know, the second reading cause of death greater than virtually any other illness that that you can identify for children and youth and second only to access to accidents. So, you know, the earlier we can recognize these things for our teenagers or during childhood and intervening, hopefully, the better we can
do in preventing them from having really negative outcomes. Are there common drivers of all of this, whether it's bullying or social media or other issues that we see in a lot of these cases, it's really a combination of things. For in most circumstances. Uh, you know, one of the things that we have that we really need to recognize is that mental health conditions are uh, you know, many ways driven by our our biology. Uh. They
exist in the way you know, our brains develop. That doesn't mean that there's something quote unquote wrong with your brain, but you know, some people are just more prone to things like depression, anxiety ADHD than others based on
their neurology, based on our family history as well. You also, you know, combine that with some of the stressors that you identify peer interactions, you know, maybe not having access to to quality healthcare, being exposed to bullying or target for bullying, social media things, you know, family relationships, things like that can are all additional contributing factors. The the upside is that sometimes those are the more modifiable factors that we can actually intervene with and
change. So, if a child's being bullied, you you know, although it may be difficult, we can intervene. We can help with that, We can get that to stop. If a child doesn't have appropriate social skills or appropriate coping skills, we can intervene. We can help support that, you know, help a child, you know, kind of learn those skills,
grow, get more success in their interactions with others. And what are some other things that parents can do to help their kids or teens with issues like depression, anxiety, suicidality, self harm, those conditions that are part of this conversation. Yeah, one of the first and foremost things is to not shy away from it. To really you know, although parents might experience
anxiety and uncertainty about their child's mental health, it is health. So like you know, like a parent would do for any other thing that they can be concerned about about the child's physical health. It's important to you know, observe, engage with your child, talk to them, you know, you
know, help them, give them the opportunity to open up. It may take some time, but that's that's a really good investment of a parent attention and time is to give them the opportunity to share was that they're experiencing, what are the stressors that they're going through, and to take a neutral, non judgmental approach to doing that. So you know, what might be to a parent to be like, oh, that happened to me when I was
a kid, I got through it. You know, in the moment to their child is something that they are They don't have that world view of a parent that they got through it. They're going through it now, so to them it means a lot. And it's really important that their parents recognizes that they might be struggling with something that could be reflective of typical child development.
You know, they had to break up with a with a significant other, but it's still real to them and it's important to them, and you know, the parent can be there to help them cope with it and to get them, you know, to recognized when they might need care. I'm Ryan Gorman joined by doctor Steven Soffer, a psychologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
He's with me for Mental Health Awareness Month. So when do parents take that next step go beyond what we were just talking about doing all they can
to help their child or their teenager and seek professional help. Yeah, well, certainly if they have any concern about their child's safety, So the child's making any statements about not wanting to be alive anymore, wishing they were dead, wanting to kill themselves, that is absolutely a time when they should be engaging with resources, certainly the nine to eighty lifeline or Crisis suicide or crisis lifeline. If you have any concerns about the immediate safety for your child,
that is a first and foremost resource. The other thing is, you know, any kind of parent has a concern, they should trust their instincts at
least talk to their child pediatrician about it as a first step. Pediatricians are really great at understanding their patients at an individual level because they get to follow them over time as but just knowing child development, they you know, they their child development really really well, so they're a great gauge on what might be kind of a phase of development, and here's how to help, here's how to navigate and cope with that versus this is something that needs care,
and you know we're going to help you get that care. And finally, there are so many resources out there. Can you recommend a few that parents can turn to, even potentially teenagers can go and check out if they're having trouble with any kind of these mental health issues that we've been talking about. Yeah, absolutely, And as you as you mentioned, there's so much out
there of course on the internet and social media. You know. One of the things that we try to do at Children's Hospital Philadelphia the Health Parents is to consolidate information in one place. So we have a website info dot chop evu slash mental Health, which is a really great start point for parents and
caregivers. Two other resources that I think are really great start points in the American Academy of Child and Aoless of Psychiatry, which has a whole resource center with different links and articles for parents to be able to understand what different conditions
are and what kind of treatment fits those conditions. The third is an organization called Effective Child Therapy, which is actually a division of the American Psychological Association, and they have a great website where they describe different types of psychotherapy approaches that can be used for children adolescents and what that should look like as well as what type of condition that should that fit, because we know that not
all psychotherapies are created equally and they're not you know, there's not one kind of type of psychotherapy, there's multiple and gaining the right fit is really important. Lastly, you know the nine eighty eight, as I mentioned earlier, has it, you know, has a website which is nine eight eight lifeline dot org which you know, you know, people can go to. You
can you can chat through that. You can also text the nine eight eight line or outright call it all really great resources, especially if you're concerned about potential crisis. Doctor Steven Soffer, psychologist and code chief of the Division of Outpatient Behavioral Health and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with us for Mental Health Awareness Month, Doctor Software,
thank you so much for your time and expertise on this issue. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me during Mental Health Awareness Month. I'm really grateful, all right, and that'll do it for this edition of iHeartRadio Communities. I'm your host, Ryan Gorman. We'll talk to you again real soon.