Be Well: National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

<div class="block">Dr. Liat Jarkon, psychiatrist, joined Cheddar News to talk about the importance of raising awareness about mental health needs among minority groups, particularly as they have less access to adequate care.</div>

beWell

Why is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month? The time to raise awareness of the challenges that affect the mental health of racial and ethnic minority groups. So joining us right now is Doctor Jain, she's a psychiatrist and a director for the Center of Behavioral Health at Nyit. So, you know, we we talk about mental health a lot but why specifically do you think that we have this month? Well, I think it's important to clarify that diversity uh groups usually have some challenges in meeting their mental health needs. Um It's not as equal as it should be. Um And by talking about it, we can raise awareness and try to help the situation improve. And when we take a look at some of the statistics, one in five adults in the US are living with some type of a mental illness according to the CDC, you know what that, that comes out to about 50 million people and 5% of that is very serious mental illness. So it really is a very significant issue in the country, but a lot of those are treatable, right? They are treatable. Um And we're making a lot of strides in mental health. Right now. The problem is, is that it's not equal, it's not, uh it's not available to everyone and the minority groups is part of the issue, which is why we're having this discussion today. Right? That's what I want to talk about. Some of the challenges to getting, you know, the, the help that people need. Right. So when we talk about diversity, it, it, it involves a lot of different groups, people with differences, ethnicity differences, socioeconomic cha challenges, geographic location, sexual orientation, these are marginalized groups, groups that are disabled, cognitively, behaviorally or emotionally. We don't know, we know the high rate of depression and anxiety in the country, but it's very hard to know about the diverse groups because many of them don't reach out for help. There's a concern with stigma mistrust some cultural attitudes and that's what makes it very difficult to try to this population's issues. Now, what about the historical trauma? There's a lot of historical trauma depending on what diverse group you're talking about. We're talking about black indigenous people of color. Obviously, there's been a lot historically and it takes a lot of trust and change for them to come out and believe that there really is help for them. And what about the stigma surrounding mental health? I do feel as though we've made so many strides, especially with, you know, different people coming out and talking about their struggles. There, there is uh I think since the pandemic, we've been very fortunate if there is something called a silver lining to it, um that it's brought the discussion of behavioral health to the forefront. And I think we need to take advantage of that and keep moving forward. Um specifically talking about the diverse groups. Right now, there's a lot of reasons why they're not getting equal mental health care that they need. One of them is affordability. Many people don't have insurance and they can't afford to get health care, those that do have insurance. There's a problem with parity in insurance. Basically, insurance companies are to pay the same for physical as well as mental illnesses and it's not so much the case and that's something that needs to be addressed. The other big issue is accessibility. There are just not enough mental health providers. And what we really need to do is we need to recruit more, but we also need to recruit more in these diverse populations so that they're represented and they feel that there's less stigma on them, they can trust more and they can understand that the people that they're looking to help them understand their cultural needs. Now, how do we support or uplift people that are struggling right now? You know, that's a great question and it's really a multi faceted approach. I think one of it is education we need to start in schools. They can do so much by educating our young people to what diversity is, what the challenges are, help foster a culture of tolerability um and help reduce stigma. The other thing is just to talk about D EIB, which is diversity, equity and inclusion and belonging because the more we talk about it, the more we, we realize that we are all different and that's OK. Right. You know, and I, and I think the takeaway message would be that, you know, we're not one size fits all. You know, one of the things that makes this country great in a melting pot, so to speak is that all these cultural differences, all that come together to form this incredibly rich fabric of our nation. And if we use our differences to fray that fabric or unravel it, that's a problem. But if we could take those differences and actually weave them into that fabric, um that could make us all stronger and make us all feel like it can fit in absolutely the way you just said that that really kind of encapsulates everything that this month should be. It. It is. And, and we should offer um services to everyone that needs them and for those people who are struggling and you feel like you're underrepresented. Um All efforts are being made to include you and I urge you to go and get the help you need because everybody is being trained right now in diversity and understanding the different cultural needs. Um So it's going to get better. I love that. Thank you so much. My pleasure.