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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.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown there was a lack of clear access of digital resources, language barriers, and adequate wellbeing support for refugees who were part of the UK’s Community Sponsorship Scheme (CSS) says a new report from the University of Birmingham.

As part of ongoing research conducted by the University of Birmingham’s Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS) the study concluded that with the advent of the pandemic and the introduction of social distancing and lockdown in March 2020, Community Sponsorship groups were challenged to offer alternative support to refugees in new ways. As the pandemic took place emerged and evolved, volunteers, the majority of whom are retired or semi-retired realized that many refugees faced language barriers or were unable to access information digitally. With some volunteers and refugees needing to shield themselves and many services moving to remote provision, these groups faced a situation very different from that for which they had planned.

The study also found how the mental health of many refugees had deteriorated as expected during the pandemic but it was more difficult for refugees as they were already experiencing psychological problems associated with experiences of conflict, loss, and isolation as lockdown was overwhelming for refugees already struggling with trauma.

Some local groups did try and offer support such as introducing refugees to activities such as gardening and birdwatching to help with their wellbeing, but such resources were not available to all.

Jenny Phillimore, Professor of Migration and Superdiversity at the University of Birmingham, commented: “The pandemic challenged CS volunteers in unexpected ways. Offering support from a distance, when it was designed to be in person and trying to look after the health and wellbeing of both refugees and volunteers was extremely difficult.”

Read more at Phys.org.

This article features NNED Partner and Steering Committee Member Sudarshan Pyakurel, director of the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio.

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe in early 2020, Sudarshan Pyakurel never once considered putting a halt to his work for the local Bhutanese-Nepali community.

The 39-year-old Reynoldsburg resident is a “super leader,” said Uma Acharya, a longtime friend of his and fellow volunteer for both the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio and Pyakurel’s BRAVE program. After joining BCCO as its director and applying for grants that kept the organization from shutting down in 2016, Pyakurel threw himself into his work to represent Columbus’ Bhutanese-Nepali community and help it flourish. Acharya was instantly moved by Pyakurel’s sheer passion for his work and his community.

“(Pyakurel) has gone beyond, like way beyond, his capacity to make things better,” Acharya said, noting how Pyakurel has traveled to countless schools and small businesses to spread awareness about the Bhutanese-Nepali community. “There’s so many of us … and people need to know that we live here,” she said. “He’s just here for the community.”

Originally from Bhutan, Pyakurel moved to Nepal at a young age due to ethnic cleansing in the 1990s. After spending eight years in a refugee camp with his parents, he earned a bachelor’s in economics and a master’s in English literature in India before moving to Cleveland in 2010 as a refugee. Pyakurel soon transferred to Ohio State University to earn a second bachelor’s degree, this time in anthropology, before beginning work with BCCO.

Described by Pyakurel as a “small but mighty team,” BCCO served Bhutanese-Nepali community members with basic matters such as everyday case management until the pandemic hit and protecting the community became their primary focus.

Read more at ColumbusMonthly.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.