In many African-American communities, mental health issues have a history of being under-treated and under-diagnosed. KALW's Leila Day talks with local psychiatrist Dr. Loma Flowers about the reasons why many in the black community may still resist therapy.
The National Association of Black Social Workers has found that African-Americans experience better treatment results when paired with clinicians of similar race and background. There’s a strong need for black clinicians, but there aren’t always enough available.
Even though African-Americans are more likely to report major depression, only around 7 percent actually sought treatment, according to a 2011 CDC report. That’s compared to 13.6 percent of the general population. Leila Day of San Francisco's KALW tells the stories behind the numbers.
Reporter Alayna Shulman profiles two women living with mental illness in rural northeast California, where services can be scarce. “You’ve just got to keep going, and you’ve just got to cling to the hope that things are going to get better," one woman says.
The roster of mental health workers in the rural areas is alarmingly small. And with too many people seeking help and few professionals to offer it, experts say the results are predictable: lengthy wait times, fragmented care and — in some cases — patients giving up hope of finding treatment.
California's Alameda County is trying a new angle to improve mental health care in black communities by tapping into African-American churches. Once members receive special training, their churches are declared places that can offer support and connect people to resources to find help.
A study of Holocaust survivors is casting new light on our understanding of trauma’s effects on the body. The research suggests that extreme trauma can manifest itself in our genetic fingerprints — and that these changes can be passed on to the next generation.
One study found that the vast majority of stories we hear about child welfare are “horror stories” about evil parents doing ghastly things. And yet, the vast majority of child welfare cases stem from neglect, not abuse. Common causes of parental neglect include drug abuse and mental illness.
"As a journalist and as a person, there’s something therapeutic about being entrusted with someone’s personal rock bottom, and being a vessel for their story," writes journalist Jazelle Hunt. "There’s something therapeutic and powerful about standing with someone in his or her pain."
Earlier this year, an expert panel called for the closure of L.A. County's Welcome Centers for kids awaiting foster placements. But the real problems have more to do with a lack of foster homes and chronic underinvestment in programs that can keep kids from needing foster care in the first place.
