Minority mental health month
Bebe Campbell (1950-2006) was a teacher, journalist, and mental health advocate. She was also the author of three New York Times bestsellers including Brothers and Sisters, Singing in the Comeback Choir, and What You Owe Me. In 2008, the U.S. Congress named July Bebe Campbell Minority Mental Health Month.
Minority Mental Health Month
In 2008, the U.S. Congress designated the month of July as Bebe Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Since that time, it has become a month to raise awarenss about the resources available to individuals with mental health issues within minority communities. In Oklahoma, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services leads the effort. Here is an excerpt from an article published in the City Sentinel:
“Minority Mental Health Awareness Month shines a light on the mental health struggles in minority communities,” Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Carrie Slatton-Hodges said.
“By working with local leaders, we can focus on the specific needs of their communities to eliminate health and human services disparities and to enhance the well-being of all Oklahomans.”
NAMI Resources
The following information was distributed by NAMI on PR Newswire. Click here to read the full news release.
EXCERPT:
A Legacy of Humanity
Campbell recognized that mental health affects us all — and everyone should have the right to be heard and healed without shame or judgment. She worked to create safe spaces for people in communities of color to connect with others who share similar experiences and cultural backgrounds. These safe spaces provided a gateway to vital mental health resources and support networks.
“By emphasizing our shared humanity, we hope to shift attitudes toward empathy and compassion, regardless of race, culture or identity,” said NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison Jr. “We want everyone, especially the most vulnerable, to know that reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
“This July and beyond, we’re not only honoring Bebe Moore Campbell’s legacy, but we’re also working to empower, uplift and elevate historically underrepresented communities in their mental health journeys, while eradicating stigma.”
Culturally Relevant Mental Health Resources: A Beacon of Hope
NAMI is building on Campbell’s work with culturally relevant mental health resources and providing support and education programs tailored to different cultures, languages and identities.
NAMI Sharing Hope and NAMI Compartiendo Esperanza are presentations created for Black/African Ancestry and Latino communities to safely explore conversations on mental health. Both are designed to promote mental health awareness, explore signs and symptoms of mental health conditions, and highlight how and where to find help.
A new page on NAMI’s website features ways to join the conversation, including resources and shareable content that celebrate #ShadesOfMentalHealth.
Amplifying Voices with “Strength Over Silence” Docuseries
“Strength Over Silence: Stories of Courage, Culture and Community” is a NAMI docuseries that highlights mental health perspectives of people across different backgrounds and communities. Through candid and courageous stories of lived experience, these mental health champions share their resilience and recovery, emphasizing the importance of culture and identity in the mental health movement.
Bebe Moore Campbell’s interest in mental health inspired her first children’s book, Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry. Published in 2003, it won the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Outstanding Literature Award. It’s about a how a little girl copes with being raised by her mentally ill mother. Campbell was a member of NAMI and a founding member of NAMI-Inglewood. Her book 72 Hour Hold also deals with mental illness. In addition, her first play, Even with the Madness is about mental illness and the family.
The Concurrent Resolution: Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority
Mental Health Awareness Month (H. CON. RES. 134)
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office] [H. Con. Res. 134 Referred in Senate (RFS)] 2d Session H. CON. RES. 134
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 2, 2008 Received and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions ______________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Congress that there should be established a Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to enhance public awareness of mental illness, especially within minority communities. Whereas mental illness is one of the leading causes of disabilities in the United States, affecting one out of every four families in America and victimizing both those with the illness and those who care for and love those afflicted; Whereas according to the National Alliance for Mentally Ill (NAMI), the direct and indirect costs to the workplace resulting from mental illness total over $34,000,000 annually; Whereas the National Institute of Mental Health has reported that many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time and 45 percent of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for two or more disorders, with severity strongly related to comorbidity (including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, and cancer); Whereas according to the 1999 Surgeon General's Report on Mental Illness, more than 54,000,000 Americans have a mental disorder in any given year, although fewer than 8,000,000 seek treatment; Whereas according to the same Surgeon General's Report on Mental Illness, adult Caucasians who suffer from depression or an anxiety disorder are more likely to receive treatment than adult African Americans with the same disorders even though the disorders occur in both groups at about the same rate, when taking into account socioeconomic factors; Whereas according to a report from the Office of Minority and National Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association, although mental illness impacts all people, African Americans experience a much greater unmet need for mental health services and receive a lesser quality of care, thereby resulting in mental health disparities; Whereas the three major brain diseases--schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression--adversely affect the economy, contribute to the rise in incarceration rates, and erode the quality of family life of those involved; Whereas nearly two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable mental illness do not seek mental health treatment due to stigma, lack of community-based resources, inadequate diagnosis, or no diagnosis; Whereas communities of color are in need of culturally competent mental health resources and the training of all health care providers to serve multi- ethnic consumers; Whereas advocacy for traditional mental health organizations must be encouraged to incorporate and integrate minority mental health education and outreach within their respective portfolios; Whereas other research studies estimate that 50 to 70 percent of all youth in the juvenile justice system have mental health problems that are usually undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, untreated, or badly treated, thus leaving those incarcerated in vulnerable conditions; Whereas minority mental health consumers often fall into the category of the ``working poor'', facing additional challenges because they are underinsured or uninsured, which often leads to late diagnosis or no diagnosis of mental illness; Whereas the faith, customs, values, and traditions of a variety of ethnic groups should be taken into consideration when attempting to treat and diagnose mental illnesses; Whereas a small percentage of African Americans receive mental health treatment, and a significant percentage refuse treatment or view mental health treatment as the ``treatment of last resort'', due to the stigma associated with mental illness; Whereas according to the 1999 Surgeon General's Report on Mental Illness, African Americans are misdiagnosed at a higher rate within the mental health delivery system, and greater effort must be made to accurately assess the mental health of African Americans; Whereas there is a need to improve public awareness of mental illness and to strengthen local and national awareness of brain diseases in order to assist with advocacy for persons of color with mental illness, so that they may receive adequate and appropriate treatment that will result in their becoming fully functioning members of society; Whereas community mobilization of resources is needed to educate, advocate for, and train mental health providers to help remove barriers to treatment of mental disorders; Whereas access to mental health treatment and services is of paramount importance; Whereas there is a need to encourage primary care physicians to offer screening, partner with mental health providers, and seek the appropriate referral to specialists and to encourage timely and accurate diagnosis; Whereas the late Bebe Moore Campbell (mother, grandmother, wife, friend, advocate, celebrated writer and journalist, noted author, radio commentator, community activist, co-founder of National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Urban Los Angeles, University of Pittsburgh Trustee and educator, and recipient of numerous awards and honors) was recognized for her tireless advocacy and fight to bring awareness and attention to mental illness among minorities with the release of her New York Times best selling novel, ``72 Hour Hold'', and her children's book ``Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry'', which both bring awareness to the plight of those with brain disorders; Whereas Bebe Moore Campbell through her dedication and commitment sought to move communities to support mental wellness through effective treatment options, open access to mental health treatment and services, and improve community outreach and support for the many loved ones who are unable to speak for themselves; and Whereas July would be an appropriate month to recognize as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that-- (1) improved access to mental health treatment and services and public awareness of mental illness are of paramount importance; (2) there is an important need for improved access to care, treatment, and services for those diagnosed with severe and persistent mental health disorders and improved public awareness of mental illness; and (3) an appropriate month should be recognized as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental illness among minorities. Passed the House of Representatives May 21, 2008. Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, Clerk. By Robert F. Reeves, Deputy Clerk.
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