In the recent episode of Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots (HAHN) – a television drama on the OWN network – the Cryer and Harrington families portrayed the lives of rich, upper class families dealing with issues such as suicide and homosexuality. These two topics have been the focus of much media attention over the past few years. Mental health impacts a significant portion of the population and does not discriminate against racial or cultural groups. However, some groups are less likely to seek out therapy or professional help to cope with life stress. Those close to me know that I consume a lot of my free time being a “t.v. junkie”. That is when not busy with work or other professional leadership duties. With that being said, the last episode of the HAHN (which happened to be titled – In Crisis) had me on the edge of my sofa with my mouth agape. The HAHN has been one of my favorite shows since it first began. Tyler Perry has done an amazing job crafting the characters and the plot for each episode. As I watched the “In Crisis” episode this week, I could not help but to put my “psychologist cap”. Sorry to spoil it for you if you haven’t seen this season or the most recent episode. There was so much going on in that episode from the Cryer family coping with the death of their daughter Amanda to the Harrington family being divided about accepting their son Jeffrey’s sexual orientation. The show concluded with David Harrington pleading with his wife (Veronica) to not push their son to be straight because it may result in him committing suicide due to the pressure. At that point, I could not help but see the reality that so many people especially African Americans face when it comes to coming out to their family. In the African American community, the church is often an important aspect of life. Yet some in church are unwelcoming to people of different sexual orientations. It is typical that (African American) people don’t talk about sexual orientation or they condemn it (Human Rights Campaign; HRC, 2015). People who come-out, often get the following common reactions from friends or family:
Why is acceptance important? Research notes that for African American gay and bisexual males are significantly affected by negative consequences (e.g., poor mental health, sexually transmitted infections) that contribute to risk of poor health and this stress impacts their overall well-being (personal communication, Wilson, September 2014). The American Medical Association states that most the emotional problems among gay and lesbians is due to alienation/unacceptance in their environment. You can probably now see why David wants his wife to also accept their son. I can’t wait to see how things turn out for the Harrington family. If you have a child who has come-out or know of someone else who has dealt this coming out, here are some resources that may be helpful:
Copyright Erlanger A. Turner, Ph.D. 2015 Follow me on Twitter @DrEarlTurner for daily post on psychology, mental health, and parenting. Feel free to Like my Facebook page. Read my Psychology Today blog https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-race-good-health/ References: Human Rights Campaign (2015). A resource guide to coming out for African Americans. Retrieved from http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/resource-guide-to-coming-out-for-african-americans
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Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report noting, that “depression is a serious condition” and rates of treatment remain low (see here http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db172.pdf). Being on the forefront as a clinical psychologist, this news is not surprising to me. However, it continues to strike frustration. When it comes to mental health, many needlessly suffer. According to the CDC report, using data from 2009-2012, 7.6% of Americans over the age of 12 reported depression and rates were significantly higher for older adults ages 40 to 59 (9.8%). Furthermore, rates of severe depression among individuals from racial and ethnically diverse groups were higher (African American, 4.1%; Hispanic 3.7%) than Whites (2.6%). Even more alarming is the fact that treatments are available to address these difficulties, but only a small percentage of people seek professional help. The CDC report indicated that of those with severe depression, only 35% reported seeking treatment from a mental health professional. What can be done to stop people across America from suffering from mental health issues? First, there are decades of research on access to mental health services and a common theme is “people are reluctant to seek therapy or psychiatric care due to stigma”. In 2002, the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health identified stigma as a major barrier to individuals receiving the necessary treatment (http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content//SMA03-3831/SMA03-3831.pdf). President Obama held a National Conference on Mental Health in 2013 to spark a national conversation to increase our understanding of and awareness of mental health treatment. Still, the fact remains that there is stigma about seeking psychological services. Secondly, another barrier to accessing care is limitations placed on individuals by insurance providers. The Affordable Care Act has provided one avenue to decrease stigma and increase care by integrating physical and mental health. Furthermore, the U.S. government has made strides through creating additional programs and providing funding to improve access to care. However, as highlighted by the CDC report there is a particular need to address the lack of care among those from rural areas and ethnically diverse groups. I believe that the media can play an important role in increase mental health care. Currently, pharmaceutical companies put a lot of effort into adverting drugs that can help decrease symptoms. From the CDC report, we know many people don’t seek therapy for treatment. However, it is unclear how may people prefer to just “take a pill” to make the pain go away. I think we need to do more public education about psychiatric services in the media to decrease stigma about psychotherapy. Additionally, more efforts need to be put into reforming U.S. policies for third party payers (i.e., insurance companies). Far too often people are denied care due to restrictions unnecessarily placed on them by their insurance company. As a psychologist, who has worked with patients who needed psychiatric hospitalization, it was always heartbreaking to tell a family their child was being discharged due to insurance denial. Sadly many of these families were repeatedly admitted to the hospital due to not being able to stay in the hospital during their previous admission. To help improve Americans’ overall health we can’t neglect the importance that our mental health plays on our physical health. We must address mental health stigma and unnecessary insurance denials in order to improve treatment access and to decrease the burden for those who suffer psychological problems. Copyright Erlanger A. Turner, Ph.D. 2015 Follow me on Twitter @DrEarlTurner for daily post on psychology, mental health, and parenting. Feel free to Like my Facebook page. Read my Psychology Today blog https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-race-good-health/ |
AuthorDr. Turner is a licensed psychologist with expertise in behavioral pediatrics, child mental health, disruptive behavior disorders, and minority mental health. He is also certified as a National Register Health Service Psychologist. Archives
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