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For Robin Miyamoto, a clinical psychologist in urban Honolulu County, Hawaii, the past year marked the hardest she’s ever worked. Telehealth, which she made use of during the COVID-19 pandemic, let her still reach clients in the absence of in-person visits. But she found it difficult to draw boundaries, as she and other providers agreed to offer weekend or late-night sessions with patients in need. On top of that, she says, she’s had more patients asking for help than ever before.

“We’re seeing much higher rates of anxiety – both COVID-related but also finance-related, employment-related,” Miyamoto says. The Hawaii Psychological Association, of which Miyamoto is a past president, saw a 60% increase in applications for pro bono care during the pandemic due to the loss of insurance, she says.

“A lot of depression, isolation,” Miyamoto adds. “And then I have a huge number of adults requesting assessments for (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) because of work from home … people are questioning their ability to stay focused and pay attention.”

When it comes to mental health, Honolulu County is the country’s top performer, according to the 2021 U.S. News Healthiest Communities rankings. The annual project assesses nearly 3,000 counties and county equivalents across the U.S. on dozens of metrics that show and shape health and well-being, in categories ranging from equity, housing and the economy to population health, public safety, and food and nutrition.

Honolulu, a consolidated city and county encompassing Oahu and outlying islands, lands among the top 500 communities overall in the rankings at No. 395, posting a score of 66 out of 100 points. In mental health measures in the analysis, it achieves a score of 100 thanks to its performance relative to other communities in metrics assessing deaths of despair in recent years, meaning deaths tied to alcohol, drugs, or suicide; share of adults who’ve experienced frequent mental distress; and percentage of Medicare beneficiaries with depression.

But the pandemic has meant significant challenges for Hawaii when it comes to mental health – ones that providers are now working to meet through comprehensive care.

Read more at USNews.com.

In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country, the NNED selects a partner organization to highlight once a month. Family Service of El Paso, has been selected as the Partner of the Month for October in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Family Service of El Paso is a private, non-profit social service agency governed by a volunteer board of directors. They deliver mental health services that improve the life, health, and wellbeing of individuals and families in the El Paso community. They are also the largest mental health service agency in El Paso, and are uniquely suited to serve local clients from nearly every demographic. Over 75% of their clients are low income (by HUD Section 8 guidelines) and 87% of their clients are Hispanic. To serve this population, Family Service of El Paso constantly strives to ensure our services are affordable, accessible, and culturally competent.

The programs and services that are currently offered:

• Psychiatric Care Providers – Family Service of El Paso also provides affordable psychiatric care at the facilities through partnership with Project Vida. Psychiatric care is scarce in the community, especially for lower-income clients. At Family Service, they are uniquely positioned to serve clients by offering therapists and prescribers under the same roof. This improves collaboration and provides better quality of care to our clients.
• Telehealth – On March 15th of 2020 Family Service begin providing telehealth services via phone or video in response to the pandemic. Telehealth will remain a service that Family Service of El Paso will continue to offer post-pandemic
• Individual Therapy – Individual therapy is a form of therapy in which the client is treated one-on-one with a therapist in a collaborative effort. The goal is to provide an open, supportive, and confidential environment for you to address the issues that are concerning you.
• Family Therapy – Family therapy is a type of psychological counseling (psychotherapy) done to help family members improve communication and resolve conflicts. Family therapy sessions can teach you skills to deepen family connections and get through stressful times.
• Couples Therapy – Couples therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps couples of all types recognize and resolve conflicts and improve their relationships. Through couples therapy, you can make thoughtful decisions about rebuilding your relationship or going your separate ways.
• Youth Counseling – Most people don’t associate mental illness with children, but they can experience the same mental and emotional stresses that adults do. Child or youth counseling is a type of counseling that focuses on children that are diagnosed with mental disorders.

Learn more about the Family Service of El Paso, and their vision that all individuals and families in the El Paso, Texas community have access to mental healthcare services.

View a list of previous NNED Partners of the Month.

Fifty percent of young Hispanics, ages 18 to 25, with a serious mental illness never receive treatment, according to statistics. Part of that problem can be attributed to language barriers and no access to health insurance.

A group called Houston Galveston Institute Counseling, which has been around since 1979, has been working hard to try to put a dent in those numbers. The nonprofit organization offers unique services to the Hispanic community with free counseling in Spanish for individuals or families as a whole. It offers onsite counseling as well, with a diverse staff that reflects the many cultures of the community.

“Ethnic groups and Hispanic groups are underserved,” said Sue Levin, the executive director at HGI Counseling. “They do not feel welcome and do not feel there will be someone who understands them and their needs.”

For Hispanic Heritage Month, HGI Counseling is fundraising to continue its efforts to reach more Hispanic families who need help.

Read more at ABC13.com.

On its opening weekend, the horror film “Candyman” made history at the box office. Coming in at number one, Nia Dacosta became the first Black female director to hold that spot.

Not only is the movie thrilling, but it also addresses mental health in Black communities.

“Candyman” is centered around an artist who learns of the legend of the Candyman and gets drawn into the mythology as a wave of violence is unleashed.

“‘Candyman’ in itself exemplifies what Black people are going through now in America,” Lorenzo Lewis said.

Lewis is a Little Rock native and founder of “The Confess Project,” a movement training barbers to be mental health advocates across America.

Lewis sat on a panel organized by the film’s makers to discuss the significance and meaning of “Candyman” and the Black horror genre.

“The promising message behind it is that Black people are living in a horror film all the time,” Lewis said. “They’re living in this stress, and they’re living in these unimaginable conditions. We’re unpacking ‘Candyman’ in a way that’s allowing people to see that there is hope and healing.”

In 2019, suicide was the second leading cause of death among African American people, ages 15 to 24. Addressing that, according to Lewis, starts with recognizing the struggles specific to Black Americans.

Read more at THV11.com.

Christian Nelson has had a rough life, to say the least.

The 19-year-old Northeast Side resident has seen her mother go to prison, bounced from house to house, lived on the streets, used drugs, spent time as a sex worker, and endured mental illness.

“It was terrifying; I didn’t know nothing about life,” Nelson said. “I had no guidance. I thought it was normal to wake up and do drugs and watch women sell themselves. That’s just how life was.”

And that was all before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Nelson had made some progress at that point, having found a counselor she trusted and who had helped her. She also was on medication to help control her schizophrenia. But the pandemic shattered her fragile emotional state.

“The isolation and quarantine didn’t help her much,” said her grandmother, Trina Nelson. “She struggled with that a lot.”

Nelson’s case might be extreme, but it’s an example of how the pandemic has affected the mental health of America’s children and young adults. The isolation of being stuck at home during the pandemic’s early days often has been compounded by worries that kids absorb from parents, who perhaps lost a job or fear losing their home.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, between April 1, 2020, and the end of 2020, the percentage of emergency-room visits that were mental-health-related rose 42.5% nationwide among those ages 5 to 24.

Read more at Dispatch.com.

Suicide is complicated. Experiences prior to, during, and following military service, coupled with stigma associated with help-seeking behavior, have resulted in elevated suicide rates among Veterans. Many experience physical and emotional wounds in silence.

Suicide is a tragic and preventable outcome. It affects not only our Veterans, but also their families, friends, and communities across the nation.

There is no “one single reason” why an individual dies from suicide. So, too, there is no “single solution” for suicide prevention.

The public is keenly aware of some key risk factors for suicide among Veterans. Examples are depression, chronic pain, firearm access, or social isolation. But it is also often unaware of the devastating relationship between substance use and suicide.

The 2020 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report showed that Veterans Health Administration (VHA) users diagnosed with substance use disorders (SUD) had higher rates of suicide than those with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Rates were amongst the highest for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). These statistics must motivate action. Addressing a Veteran’s SUD, especially OUD, is critical for suicide prevention efforts.

Read more at Blogs.VA.gov.