News

There are about 18 million veterans in the United States. It’s estimated that about 20 percent of them may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, significantly more than the general population (at about four percent). These conditions, if left untreated, can have long-lasting negative effects on work, relationships, and overall quality of life.

For veterans, mental health issues can develop for a variety of reasons. Spending long stretches of time away from friends and family can be a challenge. In addition, soldiers face the stressors of combat, witnessing and participating in traumatic events, and making emotionally difficult decisions in the field. The most common mental health diagnoses are:

• PTSD, in which a person may experience flashbacks, nightmares, or severe anxiety. The onset of PTSD can be immediate or can occur years after a given event.
• Depression, a mood disorder resulting in persistent feelings of sadness. It can present as loss of interest or pleasure in activities, tiredness, or even feelings of guilt.
• Anxiety, which is excessive worry about everyday situations. It can manifest itself as feeling nervous, experiencing an increased sense of danger, having trouble sleeping, avoiding things that may trigger anxiety, and, sometimes, panic attacks.

For some, serving in the military can cause moral injury because their actions conflict with their personal core values, especially in combat. Values such as justice, fairness, and loyalty can be challenged on the field, causing feelings of guilt and shame and leading to mental health difficulties when returning to civilian life.

For many veterans, mental illness carries a stigma that can keep them from seeking support. They might fear that treatment might not work, that they might be perceived as weak, or even that the treatment process might be too challenging.

Understanding how their mental health needs may differ from those of the general population is important to ensuring that veterans receive treatment and support.

Read more at PhillyVoice.com.

According to federal data and the most recent Survey of Immigrants, a partnership between The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and The Los Angeles Times, immigrants make up 16% of the U.S. adult population and play an important role in the nation’s workforce, culture and economy, contributing tens of billions of dollars each year in federal, state and local taxes. No matter how long they have been in the U.S., most immigrants surveyed said they came to the U.S. to find better jobs, educational opportunities and a brighter future for their children.

Despite their optimism, undocumented immigrants face unique challenges, especially in accessing health care for their children. No federal programs provide health care to undocumented children. Except for emergency care, the children of undocumented immigrants are prohibited from enrolling in any federally funded coverage, including Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Even many lawfully present immigrants face a five-year waiting period to enroll in Medicaid or CHIP.

Further complicating the situation, children of undocumented immigrants are often U.S.-born citizens who may be eligible for benefits, but do not receive them because of immigration-related fears and confusion about eligibility restrictions. As a result, undocumented immigrants seek health care from a patchwork system of safety net providers such as federally qualified community health centers, public hospitals, migrant health centers, health fairs, and school and community clinics.

Read more at TheNationsHealth.org

The suicide rate for Hispanic people in the United States has increased significantly over the past decade. The trend has community leaders worried: Even elementary school-aged Hispanic children have tried to harm themselves or expressed suicidal thoughts.

Community leaders and mental health researchers say the pandemic hit young Hispanics especially hard. Immigrant children are often expected to take more responsibility when their parents don’t speak English ― even if they themselves aren’t fluent. Many live in poorer households with some or all family members without legal residency. And cultural barriers and language may prevent many from seeking care in a mental health system that already has spotty access to services.

It’s a problem seen coast to coast, in both urban and rural communities.

The Children’s Institute, a Los Angeles-based social services organization with a primarily Latino clientele, has reported a significant increase in emergency room visits and hospitalizations among young people for risky behavior and suicidal thoughts, said Diane Elias, vice president of behavioral health at the institute. She said children as young as 8 have required hospitalization for attempting to harm themselves.

Lack of access to mental health care is a problem for all segments of society, particularly since the beginning of the pandemic. But minorities face added economic and societal obstacles, said Maria Oquendo, a past president of the American Psychiatric Association and a suicide researcher.

Read more at NBCNews.com.

Five months after wildfires destroyed homes and lives on the Hawaiian island of Maui, residents are sounding the alarm on an ongoing mental health crisis facing those impacted by the destruction.

The Aug. 8 wildfires left thousands of businesses and residential buildings burned to the ground and killed at least 100 people. Thousands of people are still moving from hotel to hotel, shelter to shelter without a place to officially call home. Many are still without a job, with unemployment claims increasing by almost 400% since the tragedy, according to data from the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Concerns have spread among residents about a spike in suicides after the tragedy, prompting calls for action from officials to tackle what they say is a mental health crisis.

Read more at ABCNews.com.

There is a nationwide shortage of therapists that serve the Asian American community. In 2021, less than 4% of psychologists identified as Asian American or Asian Pacific American, compared with 80% who identified as White. On top of that, not all of those psychologists are trained in culturally competent care.

One major obstacle is a lack of cultural humility by mental healthcare providers. Many Asian American patients report having to teach therapists about their culture, or being judged or questioned about their experiences. This may discourage patients from continuing to seek help.

This training includes evidence-based practices such as adapting manuals for Asian American families, learning to clinically work with different Asian groups, and conducting research into Asian American mental health. Aside from psychology, the curriculum also includes AAPI culture and history: Students attend local and international immersion programs, and learn about the history of Asian Americans in the US as context for their practice.

Read more on AsAmNews.com.

A report released this week by a youth suicide prevention group found that young LGBTQ+ people who are disabled have higher rates of mental health issues and are at greater risk of suicide compared to their non-disabled peers.

The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention nonprofit that serves LGBTQ+ youth, surveyed more than 28,500 LGBTQ+ people between the ages of 13 and 24 for its study, 7,780 of whom identified as having a disability. Results of the survey, released in a report on Friday, suggest that those who identified a disability faced a much higher risk of experiencing mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, exacerbated by discrimination over their disabilities.

About 68% of the disabled LGBTQ+ youth surveyed said they felt they were discriminated against for their actual (or perceived) disabilities in 2023. Hobaica told HuffPost that systemic and individual discrimination, or “minority stress,” is frequently tied to higher rates of mental health symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, and suicidal tendencies among LGBTQ+ youth.

While the implications for mental health among LGBTQ+ youth are concerning to researchers, the report identified a light at the end of the tunnel: affirming mental health care.

Read more at Huffpost.com.