News

On July 20, the Biden-Harris Administration hosted its inaugural Mental Health Summit focused on improving equity and access to behavioral health care for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted this event in recognition of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, building on the Administration’s investments to connect more Americans to care.

The National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) partnered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) to support this historic event both virtually and in person in Washington, D.C. The WHIAANHPI Mental Health Summit brought together community leaders; mental health professionals; people with lived experience; researchers; national organizations; and local, state, and federal leaders for the in-person event, and allowed the general public to watch the livestream. The goal of the Summit was to identify innovative solutions and actions across communities and government groups to address persistent and emerging challenges to the mental health and well-being of AANHPI communities.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, rising anti-Asian hate, and the public health and public safety epidemic of gun violence, AANHPI communities have been deeply impacted by the nation’s mental health crisis. The Summit allowed for conversation to address these and other issues impacting the mental health of and behavioral health services delivery to AANHPI communities, and hear from panelists and audience members about what actions can be taken to tackle these issues.

The Summit featured introductions from federal leaders, a keynote speech, a moderated conversation about advancing equity and mental well-being for AANHPI communities, and four interactive panels. These four panels — focused on the impact of racism and hate crimes on mental health, expanding access and integrating care, strategies for building state and community partnerships, and expanding language access — featured diverse speakers and allowed for audience-directed questions.

“The Summit’s success was the result of the vision and direction set by the WHIAANHPI Commissioners, months of hard work and coordination between SAMHSA and WHIAANHPI, and the exceptional job done by the NNED team in preparing panelists and strategies for participant engagement,” says Dr. Rachele Espiritu, Summit facilitator. “I’m honored to have played a role in raising awareness of AANHPI mental health challenges and opportunities, fostering a sense of community and relationships, and generating actionable ideas at all levels — individual, organizational, community, and systems change. It was a truly meaningful experience.”

Watch the recording of the event!

When Dr. Benjamin Han, a geriatrician and addiction medicine specialist, meets new patients at the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, he talks with them about the usual health issues that older adults face: chronic conditions, functional ability, medications and how they’re working. He asks, too, about their use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and other nonprescription drugs. “Patients tend to not want to disclose this, but I put it in a health context,” Dr. Han said.

He tells them, “As you get older, there are physiological changes and your brain becomes much more sensitive. Your tolerance goes down as your body changes. It can put you at risk.”

That’s how he learns that someone complaining about insomnia might be using stimulants, possibly methamphetamines, to get going in the morning. Or that a patient who has long taken an opioid for chronic pain has run into trouble with an added prescription for, say, gabapentin.

When one 90-year-old patient, a woman fit enough to take the subway to his previous hospital in New York City, began reporting dizziness and falls, it took Dr. Han a while to understand why: She washed down her prescribed pills, an increasing number as she aged, with a shot of brandy.

He has had older patients whose heart problems, liver disease and cognitive impairment were most likely exacerbated by substance use. Some have overdosed. Despite his best efforts, some have died.

Until a few years ago, even as the opioid epidemic raged, health providers and researchers paid limited attention to drug use by older adults; concerns focused on the younger, working-age victims who were hardest hit. But as baby boomers have turned 65, the age at which they typically qualify for Medicare, substance use disorders among the older population have climbed steeply. “Cohorts have habits around drug and alcohol use that they carry through life,” said Keith Humphreys, a psychologist and addiction researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Aging boomers “still use drugs far more than their parents did, and the field wasn’t ready for that.”

Evidence of a growing problem has been stacking up. A study of opioid use disorder in people over 65 enrolled in traditional Medicare, for instance, showed a threefold increase in just five years — to 15.7 cases per 1,000 in 2018 from 4.6 cases per 1,000 in 2013.

Read more at NYTimes.com.

In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country, the NNED selects a partner organization to highlight once a month. The Happier Life Project has been selected as the Partner of the Month for August.

The Happier Life Project is a Recovery Community Organization that shifts perspective, reduces stigma, and provides hope around recovery. The organization’s foundation of peer-to-peer relationships lets them meet people on their chosen pathway of healing and support them in discovering the answers to their wellness. Combining evidence-based practices with a holistic approach, The Happier Life Project connects peers to a reliable network of services, sharing lived experience to show that recovery is possible.

Some of the programs and services that are currently offered:

• Peer Recovery Support Services
• Re-entry and Reintegration Programs
• Family Support
• Recovery Education and Training
• Harm Reduction/Narcan Distribution and Training

Learn more about The Happier Life Project and its mission to provide community support for people and families impacted by substance use disorders and mental health challenges through education, advocacy, and peer-based recovery support services with the intent to normalize recovery.

View a list of previous NNED Partners of the Month.

Twice a week, dozens of mostly Chinese immigrant older communities head to a tai chi class in South Brooklyn, New York, so they can flow along to the art form’s steady movements while dedicating a deep focus to every breath, every muscle.

Tai chi classes may not match the quintessential image of mental health treatment, but behind the soft background music and fluid motion are moments for participants to quell their anxieties and focus on wellness. They’re also able to skirt some of the stigma that can be attached to professional help, said Don Lee, the chairman of Homecrest Community Services, the nonprofit organization that hosts the classes.

Treatment that’s done through a Western framework, like traditional talk therapy, isn’t always inclusive of and as effective for everyone, often failing to honor Asian family dynamics, cultural values and racial sensitivities, experts said. But in recent years, other, more culturally fitting methods have been on the rise.

From tai chi and yoga to nurturing online mental health-focused communities aimed at the children of immigrants, a growing number of Asian American professionals are expanding the boundaries of mental health care for the community by championing supplementary or alternative methods that incorporate elements of their heritages.

Read more at NBCNews.com

With millions of Americans seeking mental health care, we often forget therapists are humans, too. They are used to hearing about trauma, death, and life struggles but are not immune to facing those same challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase of fear and death was paramount, leaving many to seek help. But many mental health professionals cannot meet the demands of their jobs. With workforce shortages and an overwhelming increase in clients, therapists are burnt out. A new survey by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, conducted by The Harris Poll, found some alarming disparities.

In a survey of 750 behavioral health workers, more than 60% experienced moderate or significant rates of burnout. For Black mental health professionals, the struggle is even more real. Only 4% of therapists in the U.S. are Black. They are used to filling the gaps and holes in a broken healthcare system not built for Black folks. Three therapists across the country said they feel the added pressure to show up for their clients because they know there are not enough Black therapists.

But what happens when Black therapists are burnt out?

Read more at SeattleMedium.com.

As part of continuing efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to increase access to mental health and substance use resources, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today launched FindSupport.gov, a new user-friendly website, designed for the general public, to help people identify available resources, explore unbiased information about various treatment options, and learn how to reach out to get the support they need for issues related to mental health, drugs, or alcohol.

FindSupport.gov helps people navigate through common questions when they are at the start of their journey to better behavioral health, such as how to ask for help, how to help others and how to search for a health care professional or support program that meets their needs. The website provides information on how to find treatment and support based on insurance status, including Medicaid, Medicare, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care, TRICARE, private insurance, and no insurance. And FindSupport.gov features resources on how to set up an appointment so that when people meet with a health care professional, they can feel confident that they are taking the right steps.

The concept for FindSupport.gov was developed by HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to research showing that people were looking for an unbiased, trustworthy source of information on how to get support for mental health and substance use issues.

“Improving access to mental health and substance use services for the public remains central to SAMHSA’s mission and vision,” said SAMHSA Administrator Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D. “By launching this new web resource, we are improving the customer experience of government programs and services by making often confusing but important information easy to understand and act on for all Americans. At SAMHSA, we are thrilled to host this resource that will help people find the support they need.”

Read more at SAMHSA.gov.