health disparities tagged posts

The Jed Foundation and The Steve Fund

Health disparities occurring in the broader society also impact students of color. Students of color at American colleges and universities are almost twice as likely not to seek care when they feel depressed or anxious compared to white students. In comparison to white students, are significantly less likely to describe their campus as inclusive (28% to 45%) and more likely to indicate that they often feel isolated on campus (46% to 30%). These statistics indicate a need for a more tailored approach to protecting the mental health of students of color.

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Allegra Balmadier
2U Inc.

If mental health care resources are not sufficient for the general population, how can underserved groups address their psychiatric needs? What’s the role of Family Nurse Practitioners?

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Looking for the “Tweeting for Minority Mental Health” post? Click here.

By Kamiesha Cooper

My first experience with depression was when I was 5 years old, growing up in Alabama.

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Information provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Mental Health

On Wednesday, July 18, at 2pm ET, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health is hosting a Twitter chat in conjunction with National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. What kinds of disparities exist? Consider these statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):

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Susan Weinstein
Editor in Chief, Care for Your Mind

Five years ago, writing about National Minority Mental Health Month, we noted that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marked a time of progress on issues of health disparities because it expanded access to health insurance. The more people with health insurance, we figured, the better the likelihood of their being diagnosed and treated. At that time – with the first ACA enrollment period still three months away – we were also hopeful because mental health care was one of the 10 Essential Health Benefits required of insurance plans under the ACA...

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Susan Weinstein, Editor-in-Chief
Care for Your Mind

This article serves as background information for the “Understanding the Diversity of the Medicaid Population in Massachusetts” post above.

As of December 2017, more than 68 million individuals were enrolled in Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income people. What image do you conjure up when you think of people who receive health insurance through Medicaid?

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Susan Weinstein, Editor in Chief
Care for Your Mind

Black History Month provides an opportunity to consider the lives of African-Americans and other Black people in the U.S. At Care for Your Mind, every week we look at issues of quality of and access to mental health care. That leads us to approaching Black History Month with the objective of recognizing barriers to care today, understanding why they exist, and seeking answers to the question of what can be done to improve both the quality of and access to mental health care.

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In order to reverse the trend in youth and adolescent suicide rates, we need to implement effective interventions to prevent depression. Though that remains a challenge for the population as a whole, there are vulnerable subgroups – including socioeconomically disadvantaged, sexual minority, and racial and ethnic minority youth – for whom it is not clear that common preventive interventions are effective. There is a reason we don’t know this: we’re not doing enough to find out.

Last week, Dr. Donna Holland Barnes discussed the horrific upward trend of suicide rates among very young Black males, ages 5-11. We know that one of the key strategies in preventing youth depression and depression symptoms–often precursors to suicidal ideation–is to use early interventions that help to develop resilience, coping and communication skills, and capacity for emotional expression. Dr. Barnes notes that there are some excellent programs for introducing coping mechanisms but, unfortunately, funding and access limit their implementation in schools.

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