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Mental health has been at the forefront of many discussions due to the pandemic and all the disruptions it has caused. But for some, the topic of mental health is one that tends to be pushed to the corner. According to a Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, in the United States, 28% of Puerto Ricans, 13% of Mexican Americans and 10% of Cuban Americans had symptoms of depression – yet only 10% of these people actually seek help from a mental health provider.

Tais Solis, a 20-year-old student at Wichita State University from Mexican heritage considers herself to be someone who often deals with depression.

“I have days where I am extremely happy and outgoing, other days I just want to cry and not be around anyone because I am not feeling happy,” Solis said. Growing up, she felt that she could not speak about these thoughts with her family because she feared being judged or not understood. As Solis grew older and surrounded herself with friends of different backgrounds, she realized she was not alone.

“My parents are hard-core Mexicans,” Samuel Covarrubias, a 24-year-old Wichita State University student, said. “I love how passionate they are about their culture, but it makes it hard sometimes to be able to talk to them about certain issues they don’t consider important or even understand.” Covarrubias also suffers from depression. During the COVID-19 shutdown, Covarrubias felt like his depression got worse. “It was definitely a difficult time [COVID-19 shutdown] especially because I felt very alone since I could not see my friends,” Covarrubias said.

“I feel like not being able to hang out with my friends as often definitely has contributed to me feeling depressed more often,” Covarrubias said. “I am stuck at home a lot of the time and the only people I can talk to and vent about my issues with are my family members.” Covarrubias has used the extra time alone with his family to educate his parents and siblings about mental health issues.

Read more at TheSunflower.com.

In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country, the NNED selects a partner organization to highlight once a month. Self-Help for the Elderly, has been selected as the Partner of the Month for May in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Self-Help for the Elderly began as a non-profit organization serving seniors in San Francisco’s Chinatown community in 1966. Today, Self-Help for the Elderly serves over 40,000 older adults each year in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counties.

Over 90% of the clients are low-income and from minority communities. Self-Help for the Elderly are dedicated to improving the quality of life for older adults by empowering seniors to help themselves and by providing comprehensive range of multicultural and multilingual services. They are firmly committed to the seniors’ security, freedom and peace of mind and promoting their independence, dignity and self-worth.

The some of the programs and services that are currently offered:

• Health & Home Care – The health & home care services help take all the weight off of family caregivers. They provide seniors with care in their own homes and outside of their homes. The goal is to enhance the quality of life of both the patient and their caregiver.
• Senior Housing – Self-Help provides apartment complexes for independent living in some of San Francisco’s highly sought after areas. The housing is affordable and comes with licensed quality care.
• Activity Centers – It is important for seniors to stay active and eat healthy in order to maintain their health. Our activity centers hold many activities for seniors to remain active and learn how to improve their health, including exercise classes, healthy meals, and much more!
• Nutrition Services – Self-Help for the Elderly’s nutrition services are helpful for seniors who have a difficult time getting the proper nutrition for their bodies. Many seniors have a difficult time going to the grocery store or trying to cook for themselves. They offer different options to provide any senior with the food and nutrients that they need to sustain a happy and healthy lifestyle.
• Social Services – From the beginning of Self-Help of the Elderly, they have provided guidance and solutions for case management, elder advocacy, counseling, naturalization and in-home support to the residents of the San Francisco area.
• Employment Services – To combat poverty, Self-Help for the Elderly supports older and displaced workers throughout the job seeking process. Our services include training, counseling, job placement and retention.

Learn more about Self-Help for the Elderly and their mission to promote independence, well-being, and dignity for older adults through culturally aligned services and programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. They envision a world where all elders have the respect, care, and support to lead dignified and vibrant lives.

View a list of previous NNED Partners of the Month.

Students on the country’s largest Native American reservation spoke to first lady Jill Biden on Friday about challenges they’ve faced during the coronavirus pandemic, including poor internet service and feelings of isolation.

The hourlong discussion took place at Hunters Point Boarding School, a small, aging grade school in St. Michaels, on the outskirts of the Navajo Nation capital. Each explained there were times when they couldn’t get online for classes on the vast and remote reservation, which encompasses parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, said Lesley Tohtsoni, who moderated the talk. Biden told them help was on the way for broadband through her husband’s administration.

The students told Biden about their communities and what they’ve learned about their strengths and weaknesses in the past year, Tohtsoni said. They also talked about ways to maintain their mental health and stay connected with teachers and friends. He told her Navajos are social people, and it was hard to not meet with classmates in the summer and to skip an annual family reunion. But, he said, they’re also resilient and understood the need to stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Biden said she feels for students who have struggled during the pandemic with losing loved ones and attending classes via Zoom. She encouraged them to keep journals.

Biden also visited a COVID-19 vaccination site on the reservation before returning to Albuquerque for her flight back to Washington. She spent the first day of her trip to the Navajo Nation on Thursday listening to female tribal leaders whom she referred to as her “sister warriors” about the broader needs on the reservation.

Read more at StarTribune.com.

A Pakistani therapist shares some insight: When I started my undergraduate degree in psychology, my grandmother said she was afraid I would become pagal (“crazy”) because of it. Her fears were well-intentioned and full of love for me, but they were reflective of a deeper problem I’ve seen in many Asian communities: misconceptions and stigma around mental health.

As a Pakistani therapist, I’ve spent a fair share of my time discussing and debating the legitimacy of mental health as a health care issue (both with clients, as well as within my own friends and family network). One thing I have noticed, which gives me immense hope—especially when it comes to conversations about Asian American mental health—is that talking about mental health is a powerful step towards destigmatizing it and increasing empathy between people. Sharing your mental health journey with your Asian parents can be daunting. But it can also be incredibly important, especially in the face of the increased violence we’re seeing against Asians and Asian Americans in the United States.

The cultural myths about mental illness within Asian American communities and the diaspora are strong and persistent. Research has shown that within Asian cultures, mental illness is often seen as a weakness or a lack of willpower. It can even be seen as contagious. For Asian Americans in particular, pressure to live up to limiting stereotypes can also play a role. But that silence around mental health translates into tragic statistics on a larger scale. If you’re thinking about sharing your mental health journey with your Asian family, there are a few strategies you can use to have an easier, more productive conversation.

Read more at Self.com.

After two mass shootings in less than one week, mental health experts say the effects these horrific events have on the American public are amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 22, 2021, 10 people were killed at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. This event follows the deaths of eight people, including six Asian women, in shootings at Atlanta spas a week before.

“When there’s something about the case that resonates with you and that you identify with, it’s going to have a pretty significant impact,” said Dr. Ronald Acierno, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UTHealth’s McGovern Medical School. Post-traumatic stress disorder, general anxiety, depression, and substance abuse are four of the main conditions that can develop because of trauma, especially in those who personally witness a traumatic event, according to Acierno.

The American Psychiatric Association outlines common reactions following a disaster, including changes in sleep, mood changes, decreased energy, changes in appetite, problems concentrating, headaches or other body pains, and increased isolation. They surveyed American adults in February, and many reported that since the pandemic started, they have had undesired weight changes, are drinking more alcohol to cope with stress, and are not getting their desired amount of sleep. This is particularly true of parents, essential workers, young people, and people of color.

These reported health impacts signal many adults may be having difficulties managing stressors, including grief and trauma, and are likely to lead to significant, long-term individual and societal consequences, including chronic illness and additional strain on the nation’s health care system.

Read more at ABCNews.com.

Last year, the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd led to a racial reckoning. This year, those traumas continue to ripple through Black communities.

Though high-profile Black deaths such as Taylor’s and Floyd’s can make racism seem episodic, decades of data show racism is structural, interpersonal, and omnipresent, exacting a profound physical and emotional toll. Racism is associated with a host of psychological consequences, including depression, anxiety, and other serious, sometimes debilitating mental conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders, mental health experts say.

Psychotherapist Resmaa Menakem says not only must Black people cope with present-day traumas, but they also carry the effects of intergenerational trauma, which impact individuals and social groups in myriad ways.

Arline Geronimus, a professor of health behavior and health education at the University of Michigan, uses the term “weathering” to describe the way chronic stressors – which can include interpersonal microaggressions and institutionalized racism – erode bodies. In humans, life-threatening stressors activate a physiological stress response. The problem is people who experience discrimination have that response chronically.

Read more at USAToday.com.