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Researchers have documented “large, pervasive and persistent” racial inequalities in the U.S. Inter-group relations are among the factors that contribute to such disparities, many of which manifest themselves in gaps in health care.

Although racism and discrimination affect both genders and all ethnic minority groups, assistant professor of psychiatry at University of Michigan, Shervin Assari’s studies suggest that black males’ health takes the largest hit from racism.

And, Assari’s recent study suggests that white men have more negative attitudes against blacks than do white women. This is very troubling as white men hold the highest level of social power in the U.S. This is also one reason black men experience more discrimination and are more vulnerable to discrimination than black women.

Unfair treatment of black males has been consistently documented by all sources of power, from police, judges, teachers, and employers.

Studies have shown that black men are disproportionately shot and killed by the police, stopped, arrested, incarcerated and jailed. Black men are also over-represented in U.S. prisons. While there are two times more black women than white women in prison, black men are six times more likely than white men to spend some time in prison. Thus, the problem of mass incarceration is not an issue of race but an issue of race and gender.

These encounters marginalize black men in the U.S. society, and harm their health. Only a small proportion of them successfully climb the social ladder. And when they do, society discriminates against them more, which puts them at high risk of depression and depressive symptoms.

While racism and discrimination impact education outcomes of both genders, black boys are more commonly discriminated and more strongly affected by it at schools, than black girls. As a result, black boys are most likely to drop out of school. Given that school drop out reduces future health and well-being of people, black men are at a relative disadvantage compared to other race by gender groups.

Read more on TheConversation.com.

Native American communities experience a much higher rate of mental health issues, such as substance abuse and suicide, than any other racial or ethnic group in the country ― and the media tend to fixate on these grim figures.

Data shows that tribal communities experience psychological distress 1.5 times more often than the general population, and Native Americans use and abuse alcohol and drugs at younger ages and at higher rates than any other ethnic group. Plus, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 10- to 34-year-olds in tribal communities.

But Doreen Bird, Ph.D., an expert on mental health issues in tribal communities, says numbers like these tell only part of the story.

Bird, who hails from the Kewa Pueblo of New Mexico, has devoted her career to researching mental and behavioral health among Native American communities. She notes that suicide rates can vary widely from tribe to tribe, and cautions against treating all Native peoples as a monolith.

“You can get a very different picture among different tribal nations,” Bird told HuffPost.

Because of the stigma surrounding suicide, the reported numbers can also sometimes be off. In tribal communities, there’s a reluctance to speak about those who have died by suicide, as well as mistrust of outside researchers who examine issues related to suicide but aren’t from within the tribal communities, she added. It can also be taboo to talk about those who have died, Bird explained.

HuffPost spoke with Bird to learn more about her work, and what she wishes others knew about mental health within Native American communities.

HuffPost: What’s the biggest misconception about suicide in tribal communities?

Bird: A lot of times, the media and journal articles highlight high rates of suicide. But even in my own state of New Mexico, there were different varying rates. One study found that the more acculturated tribes had higher suicide rates than the more traditional, less acculturated tribes. But the tribe that I come from [Kewa Pueblo] had zero suicides. Some tribal nations have very low suicides, while others have very high suicide rates. So when you really look into tribal-specific numbers, you can get a very different picture amongst different tribal nations.

HuffPost: What’s important for researchers to keep in mind when it comes to tribal suicide prevention?

Bird: There are many cultural considerations that may be unique to each tribe. Some tribal communities consider it taboo to talk about death while others are OK to talk about death and the deceased. It’s also important to listen to the elders and youth because they have lived experience in their communities. As outsiders trying to make an impact, it behooves us to look at strengths and resilience that lie within each community.

Read more on HuffingtonPost.com.

When she was 14 years old, Diana Chao began having migraines. She often felt dizzy as she walked. Sunlight seemed to pierce her skull.

“It felt like shards digging into my eyes,” said Chao, now 20 and a sophomore at Princeton University.

After a week of constant pain, her parents took her to an optometrist. That’s when they learned she was “swelling from the inside out,” Chao recalled.  She had uveitis, an inflammatory eye disease that can send the pressure inside an eye soaring and render people temporarily blind.

For the next four years, Chao visited ophthalmologists, rheumatologists, and many other specialists in Los Angeles to find a cause. Episodes of temporary blindness resurfaced every few months, as she underwent a battery of tests.

“But every single test came back fine,” Chao said.

Until one ophthalmologist said she’d seen the condition in several patients with mental illness. That’s when it clicked for Chao, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager. Her body might be reacting to her mind.

It’s not uncommon.

Research shows that mental illness can often manifest as physical symptoms. Depression can show up as headaches, anxiety as gastrointestinal issues, or post traumatic stress disorder as back pain.

The phenomenon is especially common among Asian Americans, multiple studies show. More research is needed to understand why, but psychologists suggest it may relate to the stigma around mental illness in many Asian cultures that prevents people from discussing it openly, as well as traditional Eastern views of an interconnected mind and body.

But many clinicians are unaware of these somatic, or physical, symptoms of mental illness among Asian Americans, leaving a population of more than 21 million underdiagnosed and undertreated.

Chao, a mental-health activist and an avid researcher, looked into the connection between uveitis and psychological distress. While there have been cases linking the two since the 1980s, it isn’t known whether one actually causes the other.

Read more on Philly.com.

One of the challenges in the effort to combat health disparities in the United States is the growing shortage of qualified and diverse health professionals in all aspects of public health. To replenish the nearly one in four public health professionals entering retirement, schools of public health will have to triple the current number of graduates over the next several years. The Pew Research Center reports that Americans are more racially and ethnically diverse than in the past, and that the U.S. is projected to be even more diverse in the coming decades. As the cultural landscape of this country evolves, it is critical that the emerging faces of the public health workforce reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity in communities across the U.S.

In the face of these challenges, the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) understands the tremendous contribution that young adults can make in reducing health disparities and is dedicated to advancing and disseminating knowledge in the field of health equity. To this end, OMH has launched the Youth Heath Equity Model of Practice (YHEMOP).

The Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is excited to announce that the Youth Health Equity Model of Practice (YHEMOP) Summer 2019 Health Equity Fellow application is now available! Through its YHEMOP program, OMH places students enrolled in higher education studies into short-term health equity fellowships to help meet the needs of diverse organizations.

Application Information

Applications for Summer of 2019 should be submitted via mail directly to the following address with a postmarked date of February 22, 2019:

YHEMOP Program

805 Fifteenth Street NW, Suite 910

Washington, DC 20005

Application requirements include: YHEMOP application with Placement Site rankings, current resume, personal statement, and a letter of recommendation submitted directly by the recommender (also must be postmarked by February 22, 2019).

For more information on the YHEMOP Program experience and requirements, visit the YHEMOP webpage or email OMHYHEMOP@atlasresearch.us.

As part of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) celebration of 50 years of independent and distinct service as a professional association, dedicated to the mental health and wellness of African American persons, families and community, they invite you to help celebrate the service and significance of the ABPsi at their 51st annual International convention.

The ABPsi International Convention provides an outstanding educational program, which includes continuing education units and general professional development opportunities for attendees. Keynote speakers, guest panelists and general sessions cover a diverse array of topics related to the practice, research and professional training related to the total well-being of our world community. In addition to over 80 presentations, the Annual Business and Committee meetings are held, and students and early career professionals have the opportunities to be mentored by the association’s elders and seasoned members.

Presenter Guidelines: Presentation slots are very limited, and there will not be an extension of the due date; Presenters will be limited to conduct a maximum of two sessions, either as a lead presenter or a co-presenter; All Presenters must be registered for the convention.

Presentations will be organized in the following tracks:

• Traditional Healing Practices
• Mental Health Research & Services
• Community Healing & Restoration Context of Power & Privilege
• Industrial & Organizational Psychology
• School & Education
• Other (specify)

Submission Process: Proposals submitted for presentation consideration must be related to the conference theme: “Afrikan Psychology & Afrifuturism: Psychological Liberation & Spiritual Illumination.”

Abstracts are due February 15, 2019.

Learn more about the 2019 Convention at ABPsi.org.

Click here to submit an abstract proposal packet for the ABPsi 2019 Convention!

Hawaii County currently has no program to assist law enforcement when dealing with those who suffer from a mental illness. However, efforts continue on state and local levels to give officers the resources they need when encountering these individuals.

“Police officers cannot replace mental health professionals and mental health professionals cannot replace police officers,” said Dr. Michael Champion, forensic chief for the Department of Health in the Adult Mental Health Division at the State of Hawaii Police Commissioners’ Conference.

“I think what we see in trends around the country are correctional facilities becoming de facto mental health facilities,” Champion said.

Mental health experts discussed two programs that allow law enforcement and health professionals to work together to help these individuals who deal with mental illness. The Sequential Intercept Model has been operating in Honolulu for a year and was recently rolled out in Maui County.  The model is underway in Hawaii County. Champion said the goal is get the program statewide.

Champion said the Sequential Intercept Model provides a pathway for mental health professionals to understand how a person travels in the criminal justice system and how they can intervene.

Steve Balcom, Crisis Services Coordinator, said there are five intercept points in the model where programs and services are designed to help those with mental illness.

“What we are going to talk about is there are other options that hopefully not have these individuals penetrate the criminal justice system,” Balcom said.

The Mental Health Emergency Worker program is found in Intercept 1. The program is designed to divert individuals with mental illness from arrest in favor of a mental health evaluation when those individuals come into contact with law enforcement.

“It’s important for the mental health emergency workers to understand what their role is as well as what your role is,” he said of police officers.

Read more on WestHawaiiToday.com.