Mental health in diverse communities: How to shift the stigma
WHAT LED TO THIS REPORTED HERE
IN THE WRAL LIVE CENTER.
>> MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH
AWARENESS MONTH. IT'S A TIME
FOR US TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND
LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND ASK
THEMSELVES, ARE WE DOING OKAY
WAS STARTING TODAY? WE'RE
BRINGING IN EXPERTS ALL MONTH
LONG TO TALK ABOUT MENTAL
HEALTH ALL ACROSS SEVERAL
AREAS. WE'RE SO HAPPY TO BE
JOINED THIS MORNING BY MENTAL
HEALTH EXPERT LICENSED CLINICAL
MENTAL HEALTH COUNCIL WITH WAKE
MED RESENTED THE LOWS. IT
WASN'T A GREAT TO SEE YOU.
THANKS TO BE IN SUCH A WORTHY
TOPIC. SOME COMMUNITIES,
PARTICULARLY COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR, MORE HESITANT TO START
THERAPY.
>> MOST DEFINITELY I THINK
THERE'S A LOT OF COMMUNITY,
ESPECIALLY THE COMMUNITY OF
COLOR AND ALSO MAKE A
POPULATION THAT ARE VERY
HESITANT FOR A LOT OF REASONS.
SOME OF THE IMAGES, THE
CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF THE
BELIEVES THAT FOR A LOT OF
THEM, YOU KNOW, SEEK MENTAL
HEALTH, YOU KEEP IT PRIVATE.
YOU DID NOT SPEAK TO OTHER
PEOPLE OUT. WHAT HAPPENS IN
THE FAMILY. AND SO IT IS
CHALLENGING SOMETIMES FOR A LOT
OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ALL RIGHT,
THE NEED OF MENTAL HEALTH TO
SEE SOMETIME. THERE'S OTHER
KEY FACTORS, INCLUDING SOME
TIME, JUST A SENSE OF LIKE THEM
NOT BEING AWARE ON THAT.
WHETHER YOU'RE GOING THROUGH IS
SOMETHING THAT CAN BE TREATED
WITH A PROFESSIONAL AND THIS A
LOT OF OTHER FACTORS, INCLUDING
JUST THE CAUSE IN SOMETIME THE
HAVING THE PROPER PROVIDERS IN
THE COMMUNITY OR SOME THAT
SPEAKS THE SAME LANGUAGE
>> YOU KNOW, I YOU MENTIONED
IMMIGRANT FAMILIES AND I GREW
UP IN AN IMMIGRANT FAMILY
BECAUSE WE IMMIGRATED FROM THE
BRITISH VERSION ON. SO I
TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT IN
TERMS OF I HAD A DIFFICULT TIME
TALKING ABOUT PARENTS ABOUT
ANYTHING THAT WAS EMOTIONALLY
STRESSFUL FOR ME. SO I TOTALLY
GET THAT. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF
THE BARRIERS THAT CONTINUES
TO DISCOURAGE PEOPLE,
PARTICULARLY OF IMMIGRANT AND
PEOPLE OF COLOR FROM SEEKING
HELP?
>> DEFINITELY. THERE'S A LOT
OF BARRIERS ON AND IT
SURPRISING THAT THIS BITE OF
OLD THE KNOWLEDGE AND
TECHNOLOGY AND ALL THE AXIS
THAT IS THERE'S STILL A LOT OF
BARRIERS AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST
BARRIERS THAT WE SEEN IS JUST
THE ACCESS TO THE MENTAL HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS. A LOT OF THE
BARRIERS ALSO NOT HAVING
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES FOR A LOT
OF PARENTS THAT WORK. SO ONE OF
THE ONES THAT WERE SEEN WITHIN
OUR COMMUNITY IS THAT SOMETIME
PARENTS AND I WANT TO TAKE OFF
WORK TO ME THE QANTAS SESSIONS
OR BRING THEIR CHILD. AND SO
SOME TIME THIS IS A BARRIER
TO THEM BEING ABLE TO ACCESS
THE MENTAL HEALTH UNIT THAT CAN
REALLY SUPPORT THEM, HELP THEM.
AND REALLY HOW DO YOU HOPE
FAMILIES AND PEOPLE IN TALK
ABOUT THE HOST STATE STIGMA
AND STEPHEN TIMES AROUND
SEEKING MENTAL HEALTH.
>> A LOT OF PSYCHO EDUCATION.
WE DEFINITELY GET A LOT OF
PEOPLE COMING INTO OUR PRACTICE
IS JUST EXPRESSING HOW.
>> AND, YOU KNOW, IN THE
FAMILY, THEY BELIEVE THAT, YOU
KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH IS FOR THE
WEEK OR THAT STRONG PEOPLE
DON'T TALK ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS
WHEN WE TRY TO YOU KNOW,
SEEKING MENTAL HEALTH DOESN'T
MEAN THAT TAKES FROM YOU KNOW
WHO YOU ARE. IT IS AND TAKE
VALUE FROM THE CULTURAL
BACKGROUND OR AS A PERSON.
SO EDUCATING THEM THAT, YOU
KNOW, IT IS HEALTHY TO SEEK
SUPPORT AND HELP.
>> ARE YOU FINDING THAT PEOPLE
ARE ACCEPTING THAT HELP MORE
AND MORE AND RECOGNIZING THAT
THAT STIGMA CAN BE OVERCOME?
MOST THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF
PEOPLE THAT ARE ADVOCATING FOR
THEMSELVES WITHIN THEIR
FAMILIES, THAT IT'S OK TO SEEK
MENTAL HEALTH. AND ONCE THEY
COME TO SESSIONS, THE ABLE TO
SEE HOW HELPFUL WAYS TO JUST
TAKE THAT BURDEN OFF THEIR
SHOULDER, TOO, WERE SUPPRESSED
THEIR SYMPTOMS OF THEIR
FEELINGS AND WILL GREATLY HELP
IN THE COMMUNITY AND HEALTH
PROFESSIONS ACTUALLY WORK
TOGETHER THE TO DO. CREATE A
BETTER WORLD FOR A SELVES.
IT DOES A GREAT QUESTION.
I THINK AS YOU KNOW, A MENTAL
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ON BEING
ABLE TO COME TOGETHER IN THE
COMMUNITY. ONE IS NORMALIZING
FOR A LOT OF OUR PEOPLE THAT
MENTAL HEALTH IS SOMETHING THAT
IS GREAT TO SEE THAT IS GREAT
TO ADD. OKAY.
>> AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE MORE
SCHEDULE. DEFINITELY BEING ABLE
TO HAVE A LOT MORE AVAILABLE,
PROVIDED THAT SPEAK WITHIN THE
SAME LANGUAGE OF THOSE SEEKING
HELP. AND I THINK ONE OF THE
BIGGEST ONE AS A COMMUNITY AS A
WHOLE COMING TOGETHER AND
INCORPORATING LEADERS SUCH AS
FAITH-BASED LEADERS, EDUCATORS
TO ALSO BE PART OF THE MENTAL
HEALTH AWARENESS AND ALSO IT IS
ADVOCATING FOR OUR POPULATIONS
WAS THEMSELVES. SO WE COULD
TALK WITH YOU FOR ANOTHER HALF
HOUR.
>> SO IT'S IT. INSIGHTFUL