""Regardless of age, gender or the specific Asian group they belong to, Asian Americans tend to underutilize these services," said Dr. Stanley Sue, a psychology professor at UC Davis and one of the authors of a January study -- financed by the National Institute of Mental Health -- on immigrants' use of mental health services. "

"The actions of Cho, a Korean American, are not representative of his race or culture, said Alvin Alvarez, president of the Asian American Psychological Association. "This behavior is representative of mental illness," said Alvarez, who is an associate professor at San Francisco State University and head of the school's counseling program. "

"According to Sue, there are several key reasons that mental health services are underutilized by Asian Americans. "

"In many Asian cultures, he said, mental disturbances are believed to be due to "organic" rather than psychological factors. Interventions such as acupuncture are more likely to be sought. "

""Here in the United States, we have quite articulated terms for mental health," Sue said. "Other cultures don't use the same terms." "

"Another problem is that mental health services in the United States are often not geared toward Asian Americans. "Some of the services are very insensitive to the language and culture of various Asian groups, which is a major problem," Sue said. "

"Also, in the Asian American community, a stigma is often attached to any discussion of personal problems. Seeking counseling can be seen as a public admission of a mental disorder. "

""Things are getting better incrementally," said John Fong, interim director of Asian Community Mental Health Services in Oakland. "We are seeing more clients open to counseling." "

"Still, he added, just as Cho appears to have fallen through the cracks of the mental health system, many other young Asian Americans fail to get help, even when they are referred for counseling. "

""Even the younger generation, which might be more Americanized,
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