TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Research shows that Black people are more likely to experience certain symptoms of mental distress, but less likely to seek help for their mental health.
As February is Black History Month, two behavioral health providers in Topeka discuss the potential reasons behind this and how they hope to help people get through Black History Month and seek help. I am speaking out about this.
Licensed social worker Kenisha Morton and APRN Angel Patterson Tetuan, both of whom work at Stormont Vail Behavioral Health in Topeka, never doubted working in the field.
“I always knew I would work in the behavioral health field,” Kenisha said. “I’ve known you since I was in high school!”
Angel says she drew inspiration from her own family’s struggles.
“I wanted to help,” she said. “I wanted to shine a light on it.”
Both women say they felt an added responsibility as black women.
“When you walk into a hospital, it’s important to have that representation and to see people who look like us – people who look like you. It helps build trust,” Kenisha said. said.
Trust is an important element in mental health care.
“You have to bare your soul to know what’s wrong, and you have to bare your soul to strangers,” Angel said. “That’s very difficult for everyone.”
But Angell said trust in the medical community can be tough for many Black people. She traced it back to the 1932 Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Researchers told the black man that he was being treated for bad blood. Even when penicillin became known as a cure, men were kept in the dark for 40 years.
“If people had been treating and getting shots for syphilis for 40 years, you wouldn’t trust the medical community. But now that has changed,” Angell said. “We took informed consent because we now need to let someone know what’s going to happen to them.”
Kenisha, too, is witnessing distrust from the other side.
“Sometimes I walk into a room and they say, ‘Can I get another provider?'” she said.
Experts say these experiences are part of the reason why Black people struggle with mental health.
“A lot of African Americans have trauma, just trauma growing up, trauma from life experiences,” Angell said.
But Angel and Kenisha say the stigma against seeking outside help to deal with these feelings can be especially strong in Black communities.
“Many of us grew up together. “What happens in our home stays in our home,” Kenisha said. “We don’t talk about what’s going on outside. We make sure to pray about it. We give it to God – which is good – we share our faith and values. We will keep an eye on them – but we are also here (as mental health providers).”
That’s the message Kenisha and Angel want people to hear. They are here and they understand.
“We want you to come. Don’t hold anything back. We want you to come and ask for help,” Kenisha said.
Angel and Kenisha also point to socioeconomic factors as barriers to Black people receiving mental health treatment. Angel points out that more than 10 percent of black people do not have health insurance, compared to 5 percent of white people. He said people without insurance can still make an appointment, but insurance companies often tell people to try cheaper drugs first, even if they know they won’t work. He said getting the right medicine can be nearly impossible.
“Everyone is different. Everyone’s chemical makeup is different. Everyone’s genes are different,” Angell said. “Why would one of my patients who doesn’t have insurance say he needs this (drug) if it’s not working?”
They also want to encourage young people to join the behavioral health profession. Stormont Vale offers job shadowing for students who want to find out what a job is like.
Most of all, Kenisha and Angel highly recommend them to those who are struggling and cannot get help.
“We’re ready to listen to them, understand their experiences, and really listen to them because too many people don’t think they’re being heard. ” Angel said.
Mental health resources can be found at https://www.wibw.com/hearmeseeme/.
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