News

Each year during the month of February, we recognize and celebrate Black History Month. This is an important time to acknowledge the role African Americans have played in the United States throughout history (and present) and to recognize and celebrate their achievements.

Historical adversity such as slavery and exclusion from basic rights like healthcare, education, and other resources – translates into socio-economic disparities experienced by African Americans today.

As we all know, mental health conditions do not discriminate based on race or background, however, background and identity can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult. Ongoing stigma and lack of access to health care are barriers for anyone with a mental health condition, but experts argue there is a particular disparity when it comes to minorities, especially African Americans, which can contribute to individuals not receiving proper support or treatment to feel better.

Mental illness affects 1 in 4 Americans. However, African American adults are 20% more likely to experience mental health issues than the rest of the population.

Black History Month is a celebration of all African Americans, however, every month of the year we should be working to break down barriers for all minorities. African Americans should have proper access to mental health and substance abuse resources and care – regardless of socioeconomic status. It starts with us – from the bottom up – by building awareness of the disparities within the black community and by doing our part to advocate for equal rights and creating real change within ourselves and in our communities.

Read more at PlymouthPsychGroup.com.

Just days after the tragedy in Monterey Park, we are shocked and extremely saddened to learn of the mass shooting in Half Moon Bay. We mourn the loss and injury of all the victims and those who have been touched by this tragedy. The Lunar New Year is a time meant for celebration and joy.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Organization (SAMHSA) and the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) mourn these losses and understand the mental health implications for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. As these communities work toward healing, we would like to provide some resources:

• AANHPI Resources
  • AANHPI In-Language Resource List – This list provides resources on safety planning, domestic violence, COVID-19, and more.
  • Asian American and Pacific Islander Resources on Discrimination, Anti-Asian Racism, and Trauma – NNED offers a compiled list of resources for AAPI communities facing anti-Asian hate, violence, and trauma.
  • Ripple Effects: The Impact of Anti-AAPI Violence on Asian American and Pacific Islander Behavioral Health Providers in California – This brief synthesizes insights, reflections, and recommendations from a series of listening sessions held with AAPI behavioral health providers in California.
  • Asian American Health Initiative Resource Library – This directory includes mental health, COVID-19, physical health, and other resources.
• Trauma and Grief Resources
  • Coping with Grief After Community Violence – This SAMHSA fact sheet discusses tips on how to cope with grief following tragedy.
  • Managing Distress Grounding Tips for Crime Victims, Survivors and Family Members of Mass Violence Incidents – Learn about grounding and mindfulness techniques that may help with intense negative feelings.
  • Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Coping with Retraumatization – This brochure explains the signs and symptoms of retraumatization, and offers guidance on how to manage these symptoms.
  • Psychological First Aid for First Responders – This fact sheet provides tips for emergency and disaster response workers to help disaster survivors cope with the psychological aspects of a traumatic event.
• Resources for Community Leaders
  • Helping Victims of Mass Violence and Terrorism: Planning, Response, Recovery, and Resources – This toolkit is designed to help communities prepare for and respond to victims of mass violence and terrorism in the most timely, effective, and compassionate manner possible.
  • Tips for Community Leaders: Supporting Your Community’s Remembering of Mass Violence Victims – This tip sheet provides community leaders with guidance around honoring the victims of tragedy in the immediate aftermath and long-term.
  • Unexpected Challenges for Communities in the Recovery Phase of a Mass Violence Incident – This resource discusses the challenges that communities face in the aftermath of violence, and how to overcome them.
• Helplines
  • Disaster Distress Helpline – SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters; 1-800-985-5990.
  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Helpline – The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress; call or text 988.

Racial and ethnic minorities with untreated mental illnesses are more likely to have experienced poverty, have been unemployed, and/or experienced incarceration during the past year, according to a paper published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. The paper’s authors—led by Lonnie R. Snowden, UC Berkeley School of Public Health professor of health policy and management—found that African Americans with untreated mental illness were particularly vulnerable compared to white, Native American, and Latino populations.

Using data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, they measured the health status and community functioning of different ethnic groups using their likelihood of experiencing unemployment, poverty, and incarceration as a proxy.

The findings concluded that African Americans, Native Americans, and Latinos with untreated mental illness were more likely to be living in poverty, incarcerated, and/or self-reporting to be in “fair” or “poor” health. Because of this, members of these minority groups are vulnerable to facing “double jeopardy,” or being stigmatized for both their mental illness and racial identity and experiencing greater challenges than others with mental health illnesses.

“Ethnic minority people with mental illness are particularly likely to be untreated, and particularly vulnerable to adversity in health and community functioning,” said Lonnie R. Snowden. “Their risk of adversity from mental illness might be compounded by being members of ethnic minority groups.”

Susceptibility to poverty, unemployment, incarceration, and other negative indicators in the prior year varied across groups. Latinos with mild and severe mental illnesses self-reported disproportionately high rates of poverty and poor health, a disparity researchers attributed to a lack of mental health resources for undocumented immigrants multiplied by fears of displacement. African Americans were at greater risk of adversity overall, however, suggesting that they “should be special targets for outreach for health and social services,” Snowden said.

Read more at PublicHealth.Berkeley.edu.

Mental illness is common in the United States, with nearly 20% of adults living with some type of mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. It is even more common among the LGBTQ+ community, with over 39% of people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual reporting that they have a mental illness, according to Mental Health America.

“Although being LGBTQ+ is absolutely not a mental illness, many LGBTQ+ people experience mental health struggles,” according to Mental Health America.

These struggles are ones that many people have, regardless of sexual orientation or identity. Unfortunately, lack of support from family and friends is a major struggle, but unsupportive friends are not friends, and family will need to figure it out.

Because of the mental health hurdles facing those who identify as LGBTQ+, they are at a higher risk of suicide. In fact, 40% of transgender adults have attempted suicide in their lifetime, compared to less than 5% of the general U.S. population, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Read more at ABC7Amarillo.com.

In honor of Black History Month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is hosting a virtual roundtable featuring speakers with lived experience, community leaders, and practitioners to discuss behavioral health challenges in Black communities. Through personal stories and innovative programs, speakers will highlight the often untapped cultural resources that lessen the burden of disease and promote resiliency. This roundtable will showcase unity among community in celebration of culture and history.

The event was also shared on Facebook Live at fb.com/nned.net and closed captioning was available through Zoom.

Opening Remarks

Moderator

Speakers

Closing Remarks

After mass shootings, the loss felt by marginalized groups already facing discrimination is compounded. Some public health experts say the risk for mental health issues is greater for these groups — communities of color and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community among them.

The trauma is especially acute when the shootings happen at schools, churches, clubs or other places that previously served as pillars of those communities — welcoming and accepting spaces that are difficult to replace due to a lack of resources or the sociological and historical impact they have had.

“Folks from marginalized communities are already dealing with the burden of … discrimination and racism … and the emotional toll that they take,” said Dr. Sarah Lowe, a professor with the Yale School of Public Health and a clinical psychologist who has researched the long-term mental health consequences of mass shootings and other traumatic events. “All these other stressors can not only increase risk for mental health problems following a mass shooting, but they also increase risk for further loss of resources.”

As a result, there is the potential for members of such marginalized communities to leave or for the community itself to shut down, said Alan Wolfelt, a grief counselor and educator at the Center for Loss and Life Transition in Fort Collins, Colorado.

“That is why it is vital to support these communities, acknowledge their grief openly and honestly, and then help them rebuild their community in terms of meaning and purpose while realizing they have been totally transformed,” said Wofelt, who provides mental health services and education for individuals and communities that have experienced loss.

Read more at AP.org.