Nationwide Minority Psychological Well being Consciousness month

DRY THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. JENNIFER: THANKS, TAYLOR. JULY’S NATIONAL MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. JOINING US IS DR. LAKEITA CARTER , A LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST AND VICE PRESIDENT OF THE BLACKMAN TO HEALTH ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. GOOD MORNING — LACK MENTAL HEALTH ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. EXPLAIN WITH THE BLACK MENTAL HEALTH ALLIANCE IS. DR. CARTER: IT IS A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS BASED IN BALTIMORE , THE PRIMARY GOAL IS TO SUPPORT THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND ACCESSING TREATMENT. WE DO LOTS OF WORKSHOPS ON DECREASING STIGMA FOR THE COMMUNITY, WE ALSO DO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS FROM ITSELF PROVIDERS AND OFFER REFERRAL SERVICE THAT IS USED QUITE A BIT, FOR ANYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY, WHO NEEDS TO CONNECT TO TREATMENT. YOU CAN CALL AND SOMEBODY WILL TALK TO YOU, GET YOUR PREFERENCES AND NEEDS AND WILL SEND BACK TO YOU A LIST OF PROVIDERS WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP. JENNIFER: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DISPARITIES MINORITIES FACE WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL HEALTH? DR. CARTER: THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION, THANKS FOR TACKLING THIS TOPIC. THERE ARE QUITE A FEW DISPARITIES COME I WILL GIVE YOU A FEW. FOR EXAMPLE, AFRICAN AMERICANS TEND TO BE OVER PATHOLOGY EYES TO WHEN THEY PRESENT TO DOCTORS WITH MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE DIAGNOSED WITH DISORDERS LIKE SCHIZOPHRENIA THAN THEY ARE DEPRESSION. THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TREATMENT PROCESSES AND DISEASE PROCESSES. WHAT WE KNOW IS SOME OF THAT IS BASED OFF OF HOW AFRICAN-AMERICANS COMMUNICATE SYMPTOMS. NATIVE AND ALASKAN NATIVES HAVE HIGHER DEPRESSION RATES THAN OTHER RACIAL GROUPS, WE ARE FINDING YOUNG GIRLS BETWEEN 10 AND 14 ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE BY SUICIDE THAN ANY OTHER RACIAL GROUP. ASIAN-AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS ARE LESS LIKELY TO ACCESS TREATMENT. JENNIFER: HOW DO YOU ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF AS A MINORITY? THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING DEPRESSED AND BEING SCHIZOPHRENIC. DR. CARTER: THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF THE DISEASE PROCESS AND HOW WE TREAT THOSE DISORDERS. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO DO IS GET OUT OF OUR OWN WAY WHEN IT COMES TO STIGMA. THERE ARE MANY CULTURAL GROUPS THAT FIND MENTAL ILLNESS TO BE A SIGN OF WEAKNESS, THAT IS NOT THE CASE. I WENT TO APPEAL TO VIEWERS TO REALLY CONSIDER HOW MENTAL ILLNESS WORKS LIKE ANY OTHER DISEASE PROCESS. IF YOU ARE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH YOUR KIDNEYS, YOU WOULD GO TO YOUR DOCTOR AND DEVELOP A TREATMENT PLAN. THAT MIGHT INCLUDE DIALYSIS. IF YOU ARE HAVING A PROBLEM THAT ORIGINATES IN THE BRAIN, YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR AND GET A TREATMENT PLAN AND START THE PROCESS. HAVING A MENTAL ILLNESS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN HAVING A DISEASE PROCESSED IN ANY OTHER ORGAN OF THE BODY. IT IS JUST THE ORGAN IS DIFFERENT. I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET OUT OF THEIR OWN WAY IN TERMS OF STIGMA. IT CAN BE VERY HARD BECAUSE CULTURAL VALUES ARE INGRAINED IN US. WE ARE RAISED IN OUR CULTURES. BUT YOU ARE THE PERSON WHO IS SUFFERING, NO ONE ELSE. IF YOU ARE BEING HELD BACK BY STIGMA. THERE ARE OTHER BARRIERS, BUT IN TERMS OF THE ONES WE CAN CONTROL, STIGMA IS ONE. JENNIFER: YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT CULTURAL COMPETENCY. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT MEANS AND HOW IT APPLIES? DR. CARTER: GREAT QUESTION. PROVIDERS, WE HAVE THE ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE WE ARE TRAINED TO WORK WITH VARIOUS GROUPS OF PEOPLE, NOT JUST MINORITY GROUPS. WE SHOULD NOT JUST BE WORKING WITH EUROPEAN AMERICANS, WE SHOULD NOT ONLY KNOW HOW TO WORK WITH EUROPEAN AMERICANS, ABLE-BODIED, HETEROSEXUAL, CHRISTIANS. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK WITH OTHER MINORITIES. CULTURAL SENSITIVITY AND TRAINING IS GIVING PROVIDERS RESOURCES IN EDUCATION AROUND HOW THESE GROUPS TYPICALLY FUNCTION, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM, WHAT CULTURAL VALUES ARE AND HOW THEY OPERATE IN TREATMENT. IT IS IMPORTANT EVERY PROVIDER BE CULTURALLY TRAINED TO BE CULTURALLY SENSITIVE. JENNIFER: IT IS IMPORTANT, BUT DIFFICULT FOR A LOT OF PROVIDERS TO GET ANY KIND OF EXTRA TRAINING WHEN THEY ARE WORKING FROM MORNING UNTIL 8:00 AND 10:00 AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF THE PATIENT LOAD. SO, TELL US HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO EVEN GET MORE MINORITIES INTO THE FIELD OF MENTAL HEALTH. DR. CARTER: SO, YOU ARE 100% CORRECT. I CAN TELL YOU THAT PROVIDERS ARE SWAMPED RIGHT NOW. THAT IS A FUNCTION OF THE PANDEMIC, WE SAW A HUGE DEMAND DURING THE PANDEMIC. WHILE HOSPITALIZATION RATES AND INFECTION RATES HAVE DECREASED AND THE DEATH RATE HAS DECREASED, WHICH IS AMAZING, THE DEMAND HAS NOT. IT HAS NOT LET UP, WE ARE STILL FULL, THERE ARE STILL WAITING LIST FOR ALMOST EVERY PROVIDER I KNOW OF. IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO GET PEOPLE IN. SO CALL NOW, EVEN IF YOU ARE JUST FEELING A LITTLE BIT UNEASY OR UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. CALL NOW, BECAUSE THERE WILL LIKELY BE AWAKE. — A WEIGHT. IT IS DIFFICULT FOR PROVIDERS TO COMMIT TO GETTING THIS TRAINING, DOES TAKE TIME AWAY FROM THE DEMAND YOU ARE SEEING WITH PATIENTS. HOWEVER, THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS, WE SWEAR NOT TO HARM PEOPLE. NOT BEING CULTURALLY SENSITIVE CAN BE A FORM OF HARM TO PATIENTS. THAT IS NOT SOMETHING WE WANT TO DO. SO, IT IS AN INVESTMENT, LIKE ANYTHING ELSE. CANNOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE CONSISTENTLY WITH NO OIL AT SOME POINT, THERE IS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM, YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THE VEHICLE IN ORDER FOR IT TO HELP YOU GET TO WORK AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DO. JENNIFER: SO USING YOUR OWN REFERENCE, WHICH IS SUCH A GREAT REFERENCE. BY THE TIME PEOPLE CALL FOR HELP, THEIR CAR IS BROKEN DOWN. THEY NEED HELP NOW. DR. CARTER: THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS I SEE, I HAVE SEEN THROUGH MY CAREER. WHEN PEOPLE CALL FOR MENTAL HEALTH HELP, THERE IS A DIRE NEED. WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO RESPOND IN A QUICK WAY. JUST BECAUSE OF THE DEMAND WE HAVE. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. IF YOUR SYMPTOMS LET UP, AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE MASTERED HOW TO COPE, YOU CAN CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT A WEEK BEFORE. MOST PROVIDERS HAVE A CANCELLATION POLICY AROUND 48 TO 24 HOURS WITH NO CHARGE. SO CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT IF YOU DO NOT THINK YOU NEED IT. BUT AT LEAST IT IS THERE. NOT HAVING AT THE NEEDING IT IS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM. JENNIFER: IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU, THANKS FOR JOINING US. FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS HELP, THEY CAN CALL THE BLACK MENTAL HEALTH ALLIANCE AT THIS NUMBER. 410-338-2642. WE ALSO HAVE ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES ON OUR WEBSITE, WBALTV.C

Maryland Peace of Thoughts: July is Nationwide Minority Psychological Well being Consciousness month

Up to date: 11:44 AM EDT Jul 11, 2022

July is Nationwide Minority Psychological Well being Consciousness month and becoming a member of us is Dr. Lakeita Carter, a certified psychologist and vp of the Black Psychological Well being Alliance board of administrators, tells us in regards to the allices and the significance to lift consciousness about minority psychological well being.

July is Nationwide Minority Psychological Well being Consciousness month and becoming a member of us is Dr. Lakeita Carter, a certified psychologist and vp of the Black Psychological Well being Alliance board of administrators, tells us in regards to the allices and the significance to lift consciousness about minority psychological well being.