National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is observed each July to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face regarding mental illness in the United States. 

According to The Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH), racial and ethnic minorities often suffer from poor mental health outcomes due to multiple factors, including lack of access to quality mental health care services, cultural stigma surrounding mental health care, discrimination, and overall lack of awareness about mental health.

Minority Mental Health Disparities Snapshot

• In 2021, it is estimated that only 39 percent of Black or African American adults, 25 percent of Asian adults, and 36 percent of Hispanic/Latino adults with any mental illness were treated, compared to 52 percent of non-Hispanic white adults.

• One study suggests that Hispanic men who identify as LGBTQI+ experience higher rates of body image disorders than Hispanic women, Black and African American men and women, and white men and women who identify as LGBTQI+.

• According to the Veterans Health Administration Department of Veterans Affairs, American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans report experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at double the rate of non-Hispanic white Veterans - 20.5 percent compared to 11.6 percent.

• In 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders aged 10 to 19; it was the second leading cause of death among those aged 20 to 34.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Office of Health Equity

Everyone benefits when people from racial and ethnic minority groups can thrive. We all have a role to play in promoting health equity.

Individuals can

• Learn about mental health.
• Learn about healthy ways to cope with stress and respond to loss. Engage in these practices, when possible.
• Share information on mental health, healthy coping skills, and resources with family, friends, neighbors, and others in your community.
• Talk about mental health and use non-stigmatizing language.
• Learn about implicit bias. Implicit biases are unintentional attitudes, behaviors, and actions that are in favor of or against one person or group.
• Learn about microaggressions. Microaggressions are everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults. They communicate negative messages to people because of their membership in a marginalized group. Microaggressions can be intentional or unintentional.
• Make ongoing efforts to avoid implicit bias, microaggressions, and other forms of discrimination.
• If you need more support:
• Access free and confidential resources including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
• Get treatment from a mental health care provider.

What Is Anxiety?

For teens or anyone else, anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. Things like tests, meeting new people, speaking in public, going on a date, and competing in sports can make us feel apprehensive or uneasy. But some teens react much more strongly to stressful situations than others. Even thinking about the situations may cause them great distress.

Anxiety can be a good thing when it helps you deal with a tense situation. For example, when you're studying for a test, a little anxiety can make you want to study hard so you do well. But at other times, anxiety can be harmful, especially when it is excessive and irrational, and prevents you from being able to focus.



Source: https://www.webmd.com/teens/anxiety-and-teens

This session will include a panel of youth with lived-experience that will share their journey including the struggles they've encountered, what resources/supports are needed for this population, and resources/services that have been helpful.

This session will include panelists from FRYSCs, KDE's Student Advisory Council, KY SPIN, LGBTQ groups, KY Refugee Ministries, and the Kentucky Board of Education. The focus of the session is to ensure families and system of care partners know what resources are available to underserved populations within our schools; to provide awareness of the procedures in place that ensure voices of underserved populations are elevated; to know how schools link underserved populations to the identified needed resources; how schools promote inclusivity within schools; and how the needs of underserved populations in schools are identified. 

The first part of this session will include an overview and walkthrough of MyKy.info (a mobile-optimized website that pulls together the services in communities across the Commonwealth of Kentucky to provide support for people seeking a needed resource or experiencing a difficult time). The second part of this session will include services available to families through DCBS Family Support who do not meet criteria for reporting, and services that aim to prevent families from being referred to DCBS.

This session will support RIAC members and system of partners across sectors with a comprehensive understanding of their role (and their agency's role) in the system of care, how it all works together, and what's needed to support our system of care partners from the top down and the boots on the ground up with collective buy-in and commitment. 

If you have a comment, suggestion, or think you are, or know, a good guest please reach out via email to dads@kypartnership.org.

Not Stopping for Directions Podcast Ep. 6

David Cozart discusses fatherhood programming at the Lexington Leadership Foundation (LLF) and shares his views and vision on fatherhood in general.

National Dating Abuse Helpline

Offers confidential support for teens, young adults, and their loved ones seeking help, resources, or information related to healthy relationships and dating abuse in the US.

Visit: loveisrespect.org

Call: 1-866-331-9474 (TTY: 1-800-787-3224)

Text: “LOVEIS” to 22522.

The National Sexual Assault Hotline

Telephone: 800.656.HOPE (4673)

Online chat: online.rainn.org

Español: rainn.org/es

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or Text: 988

Chat: https://988lifeline.org/chat

Deaf and Hard of Hearing: for TTY users, use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988

Línea de Prevención del Suicidio y Crisis

llama al 988 o envía un texto al 988, o chat via https://988lifeline.org/chat (en inglés) 

Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741

The Trevor Project (LGBTQ youth)

Call: 1-866-488-7386

Text: START to 678678

Visit TrevorChat: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/webchat

Veteran's Crisis Line

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

TTY: 1-800-799-4889

Website: www.veteranscrisisline.net

Connects veterans in crisis (and their families and friends) with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential, toll-free hotline, online chat, or text.

Substance Use Treatment Locator

Millions of Americans have a substance use disorder. Help is available. FindTreatment.gov.

Disaster Distress Helpline

1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746).

Website: www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline

Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator

Find alcohol, drug, or mental health treatment facilities and programs around the country at findtreatment.samhsa.gov.