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National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

6/30/2015

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Published by Tamara Hill, MS, on PsychCentral



Did you know that July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month? If not, you’re not alone. Sadly this month is often overlooked by the majority of Americans. It is a time when summer has bloomed, fireworks have entered the scene, and multiple summer parties and cook-outs are in full swing. It comes at a time of the year when so many people are outdoors, enjoying the summer time weather and penetrating sun. This lack of awareness, however, not only affects minorities struggling with mental health problems, but our society at large.

Building Awareness is Key



Building awareness of ethnic minority mental health concerns is key because ethnic minorities tend to be disenfranchised in the field of mental health. Even more, they also tend to avoid mental health services for fear of being racially profiled against, misunderstood, diagnosed incorrectly, ignored, treated indifferently, or due to trust issues. As one who has worked with juvenile delinquents who are ethnic minorities, I can safely say that many requested therapy services from staff who were considered “minorities” or individuals who had great exposure to and acceptance of their culture(s). One 15-year-old Native American adolescent boy with a history of burglary and psychosis said to me during a psychiatric assessment in which I asked why he had never sought services: “why would I go to someone who oppressed my entire culture and continues to segregate in parts of the world?” This question was eye-opening and earth-shattering as I realized that he not only suffered from the oppression of his psychiatric illness, but also fear and lack of trust of a so-called “dominate culture” in the U.S. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Native American males account for 64% of suicides among those ages 15-24. It’s an issue that many clinicians and mental health professionals neglect to pay attention to.


NAMI also reports that there aren’t many Latino or Hispanic mental health professionals. This tends to affect the level of Latino or Hispanic individuals who feel comfortable with therapy. There are a reported 29 Latino mental health professionals for every 100,000 Latinos. Asian Americans are also highly ignored in matters of mental health. Interestingly, 20% of Asian Americans are problem gamblers and about 9.1% struggle with substance abuse.

Services are hard to locate

Even more, mental health services are often underutilized and highly stigmatized by the ethnic minority community. Treatment is typically the last resort for cultures who rely heavily on holistic health, alternative and nontraditional healing practices (e.g., the Native American and Alaskan/Indian culture), faith-oriented practices, and Christian counseling. Sadly, for urban or inner-city residents the majority of services are found in suburban or “well-to-do” areas as well as larger cities. Securing transpiration or funds to travel and being able to pay for services can be a headache for many families. As a result, various alternative avenues are sought before traditional psychiatric services are even considered. These “alternative solutions” may even include illegal use of drugs such as narcotics, marijuana, alcohol, or other street drugs. The pressure continues to mount as the individual with untreated mental health problems now struggles with substance abuse problems as well. Dual treatment programs are also often out of reach for these individuals.

Many theories on ethnic minority mental health support the view that services continue to be out of reach physically (i.e., location) or financially. While this is true, other pressing issues include personal lack of interest or knowledge about mental illness, high clinical fees, and lack of cultural competence among mental health therapists.

Tips for clinicians or therapists

It’s important to be mindful of the emotional expression of ethnic minorities seeking mental health treatment. This is especially important for clinicians and mental health therapists who perform psychiatric evaluations, assessments, or brief therapy or medication appointments. It is also important for clinicians and mental health professionals to be mindful of cultural competence (a sensitivity to the culture and issues of an ethnic group) at all times. It’s something I must remind myself of in many of my sessions with clients of other cultures and even the same culture as myself. Cultural competence includes an array of skills necessary to empathize with and fully understand the needs of individuals from other cultures. For example, it may be difficult for a clinician to understand why a young Native American male would rather engage in indigenous healing practices such as the Shaman healing ritual as opposed to seeking medical attention for thyroid disease. But cultural competence would help you understand not only their preferences for treatment, but their emotional and psychological connection to their preference(s).

The same is true for the Hispanic or African American culture. An African American or Hispanic male may find it difficult to accept counseling services from a Caucasian male due to an incorrect perspective that all White males are controlling, intimidating, and oppressive. As many mental health professionals will recall, the field of psychiatry was historically dominated by White, middle-class males. It was difficult for females to even enter the field and be respected! Today, this has changed and many cultures as well as females have entered the field. But some individuals who do not understand this change may continue to run from counseling because of what they’ve always known about psychiatry.


Issues we all need to be reminded of

Before we can properly educate others about National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month we need to understand the issues that prevent proper psychiatric care:

  • Poor understanding: Many ethnic minority families have poor knowledge of how mental health influences behavior, thought patterns, and lifestyle. Most behavior is viewed as problematic due to an inborn characteristic that cannot be changed
  • Lack of ethnic support: Only 2% of Psychiatrists and 2% of Psychologists in the U.S. are African American. For many ethnic minority families, it can be stressful considering the need for mental health treatment and can become even more daunting if there are limited opportunities to meet with therapists who you feel can relate to you.
  • Lack of cultural competence: Because psychotherapy has been an avenue largely sought and researched by middle class Europeans, ethnic minorities, primarily African Americans and Native Americans, have had little access to services and have not been included in research. We are just beginning to incorporate ethnic minorities in research and provide avenues for access to treatment.
  • Gender: It can be difficult for males of all races to express feelings of depression or anxiety. But it can be even more difficult for African American males due to their cultural background. In African American communities, males should “tough it out and get over it.” In other cases, many are far more represented in the criminal/juvenile justice system than the mental health system.
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Most Common Mental Health Disorders in Men

6/11/2015

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Published by DualDiagnosis.org

When someone we love is affected by drug addiction and substance abuse, our entire world can seem to shift out of balance. We can become caught up in learning about treatment options in a desperate attempt to help our family member or friends stop harming themselves through the abuse of dangerous drugs. If we have developed the disease of addiction ourselves, it can be even more frightening. Making the situation even more trying may be the presence of a mental disorder that has, as of yet, not been correctly identified. These conditions — known as comorbid conditions — result in a Dual Diagnosis that must be addressed with as much attention and concern as the diagnosis of substance dependence or abuse.

Treating one condition without treating the other is counterproductive and can drastically influence the effectiveness of drug addiction treatment.

There are many types of mental disorders which have been associated with substance abuse and dependence over the years. While mental disorders do not discriminate due to age, race, gender or socioeconomic background, there are some disorders that are more prevalent among various populations. It is very important to remember, however, that prevalence doesn’t mean very much when we’re talking about one person. The statistics concerning whether men or women are more likely to develop an anxiety disorder — according to the experts, women are twice as likely to suffer from generalized anxiety than men — doesn’t matter if you are a man who suffers from anxiety. Because mental disorders, regardless of the category or diagnosis into which they fall, can affect both men and women, it is more important to understand what mental illness is, how it can relate to drug abuse and addiction, and how it can be treated effectively. It is also important to understand which mental health disorders are more common in men or women, and which affect both genders equally.
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Anxiety in Men: Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Mistakes

6/11/2015

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Published on CalmClinic

Don't let the gender studies fool you. Men are absolutely prone to anxiety, and in some cases men may struggle with anxiety every day. Anxiety can affect anyone, and when it does it can be nearly impossible to fully control.

Anxiety is always a serious problem. But anxiety in men may be especially problematic because men are less likely to seek help, and far less likely to understand how important it is to combat their anxiety issues. This article explores anxiety as it relates to men, including treatment recommendations.



Men Don't Always Know Their Own Anxiety
While many men are aware that anxiety disorders exist, very few realize how often it affects them. Often men refuse to admit to themselves they can have a mental health issue, seeking other forms of treatment or drowning their anxiety out with poor coping behaviors rather than admit to the issue.

Learn more about your anxiety first by taking my free 7 minute anxiety test. It is important to realize that there is nothing "manly" about refusing to admit you have anxiety.

Types of Anxiety in Men

Men can suffer from every single type of anxiety disorder, as well as minor anxiety that is disruptive but doesn't otherwise qualify as an anxiety disorder. Not only are men prone to:

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Panic Disorder
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Phobias
Men often struggle with performance anxiety and specific issues that relate to shyness and masculinity. In some cases, the anxiety can actually be worse than it is with women because women are more likely to seek out support in others in a way that men aren't. Men may be a bit less likely to develop anxiety, but they are far more prone to several anxiety mistakes.

Common Male Anxiety Mistakes

Mistakes are a common problem with anxiety, and unfortunately men are extremely prone to making some very common anxiety mistakes. A small sample of these mistakes includes:

  • Fighting It Trying to fight anxiety without a coping strategy simply doesn't work. Fighting anxiety is the act of "toughing it out" and trying to wish it away. Anxiety creates negative feelings and physical symptoms that can't be ignored, and trying to fight it away can actually create more stress that increases the risk of future anxiety.
  • False Coping Strategies Men are also more likely to develop unhealthy coping strategies. For example, drinking alcohol, gambling, and various reckless behaviors can actually dull anxiety temporarily. But they also become a dependency, so that eventually the brain loses its ability to cope without those drugs and behaviors even more.
  • Being Alone Men aren't likely to reach out to others when they're stressed, and many prefer to relax alone with their own thoughts. But anxiety isn't the type of condition where moping and trying to think things over is generally helpful. Ideally, you need to surround yourself with positive and fun people and use them to distract you from your thoughts and influence you in the right direction.
  • Pride/Self-Worth Men also put a great deal of value into their ability to be "manly," their pride, and their success. Unfortunately, this creates a lot of unrealistic expectations, as anything that isn't a complete success causes a lot of negative self-talk that can increase anxiety in the future. Combine that with anxiety symptoms that may damage pride (like performance anxiety or confidence with the opposite sex) and it is easy to see why anxiety tends to be reinforced.
Men also need more exercise and healthy nutrition - both of which can lead to increased anxiety levels - and since many men these days are less active than at any time in the past, it is not surprise that this has led to problems controlling anxiety.

Tips to Overcome Anxiety in Men

Men that suffer from anxiety need to be willing to address their anxiety problem. Anxiety isn't the type of condition that is simply going to cure on its own, and that's why it is important that - man or woman - you make sure that you are doing whatever it takes to combat anxiety once and for all.

The way to treat anxiety is to first improve your coping ability, and then combine those strategies with a system that will reduce anxiety completely. Some example tips include:

  • Regular Exercise This is a must do. All men suffering from anxiety need to start exercising right away. When your body is more relaxed, your brain is more relaxed, and since anxiety also releases endorphins that improve mood, burn away stress hormone, and improve confidence, regular exercise is not just for fitness anymore. Make sure you stay active to cure anxiety.
  • Finding a Friend You also need to find positive influences in your life that you can talk to openly, without worrying about being judged. They need to be people that actually care about you - male, female, family, friends, etc. - and someone you can talk to about anything. With panic attacks, for example, the more you are "inside your own head" the more severe the panic attack often is. Talking to someone openly without shame reduces the likelihood of over-focusing on your anxiety.
  • Reduce Unnecessary Anxiety From horror movies to dive bars to hanging out with friends that are negative influences, men are surprisingly prone to engaging in activities that cause stress. But when you have anxiety, all of these activities add up, even if they're unrelated to your anxiety disorder. Cut anything that causes stress out of your life to ensure that your anxiety is the only thing influencing you.
  • Stay Busy Similarly, make sure that you are staying as busy as possible with things you enjoy. Set goals, play sports - do activities that keep your mind and body active. You don't need to stay so busy that you are stressed, but try not to mope around or let your mind wander. The more active you are, the more likely you are able to stop thinking about the issues causing stress.
Another key strategy to reducing anxiety is acceptance, and the willingness to seek treatment. There is nothing wrong with suffering from anxiety. It is something that you didn't cause and it is something that can be cured. But it can only be cured if you are acceptant of yourself, otherwise you are going to find that you get in your own way when it comes to curing your anxiety.

Once you've accepted that anxiety is something you deal with and it is something you are going to treat, the next step is to commit to a treatment that works.

I've helped thousands of men with anxiety and panic attacks overcome their symptoms. You have to start with my free 7 minute anxiety test, which first compares your symptom severity to others and discusses how they affect you, before recommending a great treatment.



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