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The film opens with ominous music, the unimaginable grief of an entire community and the woman trying to hold them all together.

“The Bears on Pine Ridge,” one of this year’s Big Sky Documentary Film Festival short docs, explained how the Oglala Sioux Nation of Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota declared a state of emergency in 2015 for high rates of suicide among their youth.

Between Christmas 2014 and June 2015 on Pine Ridge, 11 kids died by suicide and another 176 attempted suicide, according to Indian Health Services. The local Sweetgrass Suicide Prevention Project made contact with 276 kids exhibiting behaviors associated with suicidal ideation in that time, too.

The film quoted the then Oglala Sioux Nation president John Yellow Bird, stating: “We are struggling. We simply cannot bear to lose any more of our children … Whenever we lose one child, it hurts the spirit and soul of every one of our people.”

Despite the request for federal assistance, they weren’t given enough aid to meet the tribe’s mental health needs and so several residents came together to form suicide prevention programs like Sweetgrass.

Yvonne “Tiny” DeCory is one of the strongest advocates for these kids and has dedicated her life to supporting them.

One of the opening scenes of the film depicts DeCory guiding crying teens with candles and memorial signs in a march. She instructed them to pray for their lost peer, to be there for one another and to never leave the side of their struggling friends.

“This is a hard time for us because we don’t have any answers,” she said to the gathered mourners. “And we can ask each other why, but we’ll never know why because he’s taken everything with him. But you guys have to be there for each other.”

Director Noel Bass became interested in Pine Ridge’s situation in 2011, after he battled mental illnesses himself. He spent time volunteering on the reservation and soon got to know DeCory. They became close over the years as he made more frequent and extensive trips to the reservation and in 2015 he decided to make the film to spread awareness of the issue.

“I’m hoping that people connect with the individuals themselves, that they really feel what they’re going through. They feel the crisis. They feel the fear. They feel the reality of the suicide situation,” Bass said. “This isn’t just statistics, this isn’t just things you could find online or a news broadcast that goes in for a day and covers a story, this is an investment in trying to get people to care.”

The kids of the BEAR Project shared their stories, they spread joy through dancing and they refused to give up.

Even when Sweetgrass lost funding less than a year into the state of emergency, DeCory never gave up either. She knew the suicides would keep happening if nobody was there to help. So she’d help, money or no money.

“I feel like I just don’t have a choice, you know?” DeCory said. “I don’t have a choice to quit. Because that’s not me.”

Read more on Missoulian.com.

Nurses are often the first medical professionals a patient will see, and most nurses have a great deal of contact with patients throughout their care, said Maysa Akbar, chief diversity officer at the American Psychological Association. In addition to the stress they face as medical professionals, Black people are generally more likely to have feelings of sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness than White adults, according to Mental Health America.

Black nurses are also dying from the virus at a disproportionate rate. Almost 18% of the US nurses who have died from Covid-19 and related complications as of September were Black, but Blacks make up only 12% of the nurse population, according to National Nurses United.

Throughout Olivia Thompson’s 12-hour shift as a cardiac and Covid-19 nurse in Chandler, Arizona, she closely monitors the oxygen levels of several patients at a time and works with other medical specialists to heal them.

Thompson says there are times when she said she comes home “absolutely defeated,” so on those days, she gives herself the space to process her emotions by talking with her family and watching television.

“If I don’t take care of myself, I can’t turn around and go back to my next shift and be a good nurse,” Thompson said.

She hasn’t sought professional mental health support so far.

More than 17% of Black adults in the US had a mental illness in 2019, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. But people in the Black community can have a hard time reaching out for mental health care, said Cheryl Taylor, associate professor and past chair of the school of nursing at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

She said it’s important to feel safe when opening up to a mental health care professional, and that’s not easy for Black people, who have a history of not being respected in the mental health world.

Black people often receive lower quality mental health care, said Shalonda Kelly, associate professor of psychology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. It’s also less likely they’ll receive culturally competent care, according to the American Psychological Association.

One way to increase the chances of Black people receiving quality mental health care is to see a mental health professional of the same race, Kelly recommended.

Thompson says she’s looked into mental health support in the past, but navigating those resources for the first time can be “overwhelming,” which has contributed to her not taking that first step.

Nurses shouldn’t hesitate to reach out for mental health support when they need it, Taylor said, because it means they’re practicing what they preach as nurses.

“Give yourself permission to be as compassionate with yourself as you are with others,” Cheryl Taylor said.

Read more on ABC17News.com.

Many communities are seeing a disturbing wave of anti-Asian violence in recent weeks, including robberies, burglaries and assaults targeting older Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals.

The incidents come more than a year after many Asian Americans began experiencing Covid-related racism fueled by xenophobia, as well as former President Trump’s repeated use of a racist description of the coronavirus. Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition documenting and addressing anti-Asian discrimination during the pandemic, received over 2,800 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian hate between March 19 and Dec. 31, 2020.

The violence has already discouraged some parents from sending kids back to school for in-person learning, and kept Asian American residents and their allies on high alert.

Yet despite increasing calls for public awareness and action, many advocates say employers aren’t doing enough provide support for AAPI employees who may be impacted by the news, or to recognize their own anti-Asian discrimination within the workplace.

One reason why more people aren’t speaking up on the news, whether they’re Asian American or not, may be due to a continued erasure of AAPI discrimination in the U.S. through what’s known as the model minority myth, which holds the economic advancement of some Asian American individuals as a measure that AAPIs as a whole don’t experience racism.

“Part of the myth is that we stay quiet, we’re apolitical, that issues we’re experiencing are not valid or are not attached to our race,” Michelle Kim, CEO of the diversity training provider Awaken says. “There’s a continual investment in upholding this myth, and we need to question who benefits from it, because it’s not us or other marginalized people.”

Whether related to perceived cultural norms or otherwise, some Asian Americans may feel the need to power through the normal routines of their day despite the many challenges of living through a pandemic, and on top of increased violence targeted toward people who look like them and their families.

Non-Asian American friends and colleagues can show support by checking in with AAPI peers, showing they’re aware of the news, demonstrating care for their wellbeing and offering specific forms of help.

Asking someone an open-ended question — “how are you feeling?” or “is there anything I can do for you?” — can create an emotional burden for the recipient in their response.

Instead, as a coworker, you might acknowledge that the news is distressing, and then offer to take a meeting off their plate, extend a deadline or pitch in on a project. Let the person impacted dictate how they want to do their work, she adds, and at the same time be explicit in your offer of support based on what they need.

Read more on CNBC.com.

2021 Virtual Roundtable Series: Community-Based Organizations Build Pathways to Behavioral Health Equity for Communities of Color

Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial disparities, community-based organizations (CBOs) have elevated their response to the behavioral health needs of racially/ethnically diverse communities. The 2021 National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) Virtual Roundtable three-part series presents the innovative and resilient work of CBOs in a time of healing and recovery.

Part 1 – Adapting to the Behavioral Health Needs of Underserved and Racially/Ethnically Diverse Youth
Part 2 – Partnering to Strengthen the Behavioral Health Infrastructure and Capacity in Communities of Color
Part 3 – Creating and Enhancing Pathways to a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Behavioral Health Workforce

Part 1 – Adapting to the Behavioral Health Needs of Underserved and Racially/Ethnically Diverse Youth

The COVID-19 pandemic on top of growing racial tensions across the nation are impacting youth mental health—including stress, anxiety, and fear. With school closures and the digital divide, young people are missing a sense of structure and stimulation and are at greater risk for social isolation while not receiving the social support that is essential for their overall mental health and well-being.

Join this NNED Virtual Roundtable to learn how CBOs working with underserved and racially/ethnically diverse youth—Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), immigrant and refugee, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and 2-spirit (LGBTQIA2S+)—are quickly shifting their practices and programs in today’s unprecedented environment to address these mental health needs. Responses to these growing needs of youth include bolstering methods for telehealth, shifting to more remote positions, and providing services in innovative ways. Panelists will share methods for how they are enhancing their staff’s skills and shifting roles to build resilience and competently respond in crisis situations.

Objectives for Part 1:

• Understand the national context of the behavioral health issues that underserved and racially/ethnically diverse youth are currently facing;
• Identify innovative approaches CBOs are taking to meet diverse youth where they are;
• Learn about unique CBO partnerships to address the behavioral health needs of diverse youth; and
• Learn how CBOs are increasing their staff capacity, socio-emotional skills, and self-care to quickly adapt and respond to crises.

This NNED Virtual Roundtable is hosted by the NNED National Facilitation Center and SAMHSA’s Office of Behavioral Health Equity in partnership with SAMHSA’s Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network Coordinating Office.

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Panelists

With the COVID-19 pandemic raging and the current political climate, Americans feel stressed.

For many Black people, many political issues are multiplied.

Dr. Aderonke Pederson is a psychiatrist and instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Northwestern University. She’s an advocate for Black health and wellness.

She says while we celebrate Black History Month, we also need to examine the impact COVID-19 and racism have on the daily lives of Black people.

“While there’s a lot of celebration in the Black community, there’s a lot of reflection, too,” Dr. Pederson said.

She said racism can affect your health.

“We’re talking about stress that builds up, generational stress, individual stress, so, again, it’s coming at people from both sides,” she said.

It’s not just affecting mental health, but also physical health.

“It builds up stress hormones, and those stress hormones include things like Cortisol, and when Cortisol builds up, it puts you at risk for things like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, hypertension, obesity,” Pederson said.

Read more on ABC7Chicago.com.

Meet Dr. Nicole Cammack, Dr. Danielle Busby, Dr. Dana Cunningham and Dr. Jessica Henry, a group of four psychologists setting out to make waves with their company Black Mental Wellness.

While each of the women brings unique experiences and expertise to the table, the team is united behind one mission: “We’re really trying to break down that stigma about mental health services in the Black community,” Cunningham, 44, tells PEOPLE.

Since Spring 2018, the organization has been providing culturally sensitive educational resources, programs and workshops, many of which are free of charge, according to their website. They also offer an ambassador program for students and working professionals in order to promote mentorship and establish partnerships across the country.

“If we look at the history of medical health care and Black people, it hasn’t treated us well,” Busby, 32, says, referencing a recent UCLA article on the legacy of mistrust in health care for the Black community.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Black adults in the U.S. are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress, but only one in three Black adults who need mental health care receive it.

Additionally, Black adults are “less likely to receive guideline-consistent care, less frequently included in mental health research and more likely to use emergency rooms or primary care instead of mental health specialists,” NAMI reported.

“It’s hard for me to tell people to come [receive services] when I see it’s not always safe, or we don’t always have the resources for this particular group of people,” Busby adds. “That’s what made me so passionate about this. Having the resources available to make those things happen is really important.”

The idea for Black Mental Wellness initially came from Cammack, 39, while she was working with active duty service members on a military base in 2016.

“At the time, there was a lack of information that was accessible to the everyday person… and it was glaring, how many Black women were suffering in silence,” explains Cammack, who is also the program director of a mental health clinic at a D.C.-based VA Medical Center.

Busby, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital, works primarily with kids suffering from depression and at risk of suicide.

“A lot of times when I had families that identified as Black or African-American, they came way later… and were always on the more severe side of things,” she says. “That was alarming to me because if we can intervene earlier, we could have different outcomes.”

“In addressing barriers to care, money is often one of them,” Busby notes. “We want to assist in breaking down those barriers. It’s a small way, maybe, but a way for sure.”

Read more on People.com.