Access to services and to culturally appropriate care is especially difficult for AI/AN populations, and is greatly complicated by provider shortages, lack of resources for self-care, cultural and language barriers, and others.
Young people are often told we're too immature to understand pain. But I refused to be silenced. Instead, I cried louder. My turning point came when I was 18 years old and my friend Dina, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, committed suicide.
By George L. Askew, M.D. FAAP, Chief Medical Officer, HHS Administration for Children and Families
Children’s mental health and well-being are affected by things that happen to them when they are very young. Creating a society that reduces toxic stress in children can give kids a fair chance of becoming healthy adults.
By Kimberly Konkel, MSW, Associate Director for Health, HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and Anne Mathews-Younes, Ed.D., D.Min, Director of SAMHSA Division of Prevention, Traumatic Stress and Special Programs
A recent survey in North Carolina found depression rates among United Methodist clergy were twice as high as the general public. The researchers suggest that unique demands of the job put clergy mental health at risk. While many factors undoubtedly contribute, there might be another possible explanation – the trauma that clergy encounter on a daily basis.
By Paolo Del Vecchio, M.S.W., Director, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
To highlight the importance of peer support, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is making it the national focus of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day) 2014.
By Andrea Blanch Ph.D., Director, Center for Religious Tolerance, and Kimberly Konkel MSW, Associate Director for Health, Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Across the country, there is a growing movement to create “trauma-informed” services, organizations and communities. This movement reflects an understanding that psychological trauma and toxic stress are near-universal experiences that can affect every aspect of life, and that everyone has a role to play in addressing the issue.
