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Media and anti-stigma activities could help combat mental health stigma and discrimination, but only with lived experience involvement, according to research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London in collaboration with the Global Mental Health Peer Network.

Researchers found that insensitive language and misinformation continue to reinforce harmful stereotypes about mental health conditions around the world. Tokenistic involvement of people with lived experience resulted in weak anti-stigma campaigns with little positive impact.

The findings emphasized that people with lived experience play a key role in efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination.

Although anti-stigma activities such as awareness-raising campaigns and education initiatives were thought to be helpful, participants felt that lived experience involvement was sometimes tokenistic, resulting in reduced effectiveness.

Read more at MedicalXpress.com.

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.

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.

The call line offers crisis support and an option to schedule counseling sessions for students and staff to utilize at schools funded by the BIE. Students and staff call the support line at 1-844-ASK-BHWP (1-844-275-2497), where they are connected with trained professionals who can provide immediate individual attention.

The support line is part of the BIE’s behavioral health and wellness program, which provides bureau-funded schools and programs with Indigenous-focused, evidence-based and trauma-informed behavioral health and wellness support.

The BIE launched the Behavioral Health and Wellness Programs across its school system in 2023, and the program includes a counseling team primarily staffed with Indigenous counselors with experience serving Indigenous communities.

The program offers trauma-informed on-site and virtual crisis support to students and staff, according to the BIE, which aims to reduce the intensity, duration, and presence of a crisis while respecting the practices and traditions of local tribes.

Read more at NHONews.com.