ABSTRACT
Of the many ethnic racial minorities living in the United States, the South Asian American community is a growing minority group. This chapter focuses on the psychological needs of South Asian American youth in the United States, addresses critical cultural factors that affect the mental health of South Asian American children and youth and its treatment implications. It provides a case study to illustrate the complexity of intergenerational conflicts between family members and the importance of providing culturally sensitive mental health services. SAA children and adolescents are a high risk for suicidal ideation and behavior when they are navigating family expectation, acculturative stress, discrimination stress and stigma of mental health services. The identity of South Asian Americans is complex and impacted by many factors such as educational level, immigration status, gender identity, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, generational level, and family culture.
