Mental Health is Political: Issue 4
A newsletter about the intersection of mental health and politics.
May 23, 2023
Positive psychology research finds that savoring positive experiences is associated with better mental health outcomes. So as we’re nearing the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m going to start this week’s newsletter with some things that have brought me joy recently. I’ve been playing Adeem the Artist’s album White Trash Revelry on repeat (and bought tickets to see them play at The Opry in a few weeks!). It’s nearing the end of strawberry season in Tennessee so we stocked up on them at the Farmer’s Market – and the first of my very favorite summer peaches have arrived which means summer is just around the corner. And we were gifted the perfect VPR finale this week plus a new season of Selling Sunset this weekend. (Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson watches reality TV, so I think I’m in good company!). The news can feel quite bleak these days, so I hope you too will find some positives to savor in your week ahead.
Alright, let’s dive into the news.
The good. The AAKOMA Project released a report on the state of mental health in Youth of Color for Mental Health Awareness Month. They also hosted an event with a stellar line up of experts in the topic, which you can watch on their website here. This important read draws much needed attention to the lack of representation of Youth of Color in mental health research. I’ll also plug an upcoming free virtual conference that I’m helping to plan hosted by the Youth Suicide Research Consortium. This year’s conference theme is Intersectionality in Youth Suicide Prevention. A recent examination of CDC data found that rates of youth suicide increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and both non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaskan Native and non-Hispanic Black youth were particularly impacted. As a field, we need to do a much better job of ensuring Youth of Color and other historically excluded identities are represented in our research to make certain our mental health interventions are serving all youth. I’m filing these events under the good because it’s promising to see more attention being paid to the topic of mental health in Youth of Color.
The not so good. There is much to praise about the adoption of a 3-digit mental health crisis hotline (988) in the U.S. which launched in the summer of 2022. The longer crisis line number was hard to remember, and there has been a lot more media coverage of the hotline since it moved to the 988 format. However, as highlighted in a recent article by Mad in America, the unintended consequences of this change are also important to consider. A small but meaningful proportion of calls end with law enforcement involvement – and while the goal of the hotline is to provide in-the-moment support and resources, the hotline reserves the right to enact involuntary interventions if someone is deemed at imminent risk of harm. These interventions often lead to involuntary psychiatric hospitalization, a short-term measure that attempts to help patients stabilize during an acute crisis period. However, these involuntary hospitalizations may actually have iatrogenic effects for suicidal patients. Indeed, evidence suggests that patients are at higher risk for suicidal behavior in the weeks following a psychiatric hospitalization. This is alarming, given recent pushes in states like New York and California to increase inpatient psychiatric resources specifically. More research is needed to understand the potential unintended impacts of involuntary hospitalizations, as well as to identify alternatives to better support people in times of crisis. Ultimately, this comes back to a major treatment access problem in the U.S. – we need greater investment in mental health resources that are accessible, acceptable, evidence-based, and designed to support people managing their mental health outside of the hospital.
The CDC released preliminary data on the number of overdose deaths in 2022 – nearly 110,000 people died by overdose last year. The Biden administration has been pushing for harm reduction approaches to substance use in the U.S. – for example, Narcan was recently approved by the FDA to be sold over the counter, a big win for increasing access to a lifesaving measure that can prevent opioid deaths. Importantly, the harm reduction framework aims to reduce stigma associated with substance use and emphasizes the importance of enhancing community and quality of life measures in treatment.
The this is bad, y’all. Florida has been making the front page news again this week – and not for good reasons. The NAACP formally issued a travel advisory to Florida, citing that the state has become increasingly hostile to Black people, LGBTQ+ people, and other people of color. Just this past week, Governor Desantis signed into law a bill that will defund programs that promote diversity in higher education in Florida. Oklahoma is looking to follow suit, along with several other states across the country. Why does this matter for mental health? Mental health problems do not exist in a vacuum. Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are closely linked to mental health – and when we ignore the racist, sexist, ableist history of the U.S., we stand to perpetuate long standing inequities and disparities in mental health.
After weeks of Senator Cavanaugh successfully filibustering every bill in the Nebraska state legislature, the Nebraska GOP was able to pass a bill that would both ban abortion after 12-weeks in the state and deny trans youth gender affirming care. This comes on the heels of South Carolina passing a 6-week abortion bill, Florida enacting an ongoing series of dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ laws (which is a part of the broader attack on trans rights across the States), and instances of gender discrimination towards high schoolers in Mississippi and Tennessee based on arbitrary and antiquated dress codes. As we approach Pride Month, it’s important that we remember the fight for reproductive freedom is closely tied to the fight for gender affirming care and broader trans rights – and attacks on bodily autonomy in its various forms continue to escalate and cause harm in the U.S. Alarmingly, research shows that restricting bodily autonomy is associated with poor mental health outcomes.
Take action:
With book bans on the rise, now is a great time to support those authors whose work has made the banned list. Check out a list of some of the books banned this year here. I’ll be adding several of these to my summer reading! I’m also really looking forward to diving into Willie Carver’s forthcoming Gay Poems for Red States, which you can pre-order now.
Have you checked your voter registration lately? Do you know when your next local or state election will be held? It’s always a good idea to double check that your registration is up to date, and to make sure you don’t miss out on any upcoming elections. Voting in local elections matters just as much (if not more!) than federal elections. Click on your state to find out when your next election will be, and what’s on the ballot.
Learn more about how to buy and use Narcan here. You never know when you may need it – and now that it’s available over the counter, it’s more accessible than ever before. As the CDC explains, “Carrying naloxone is no different than carrying an epinephrine auto-injector (commonly known by the brand name EpiPen) for someone with allergies. It simply provides an extra layer of protection for those at a higher risk for overdose.”
As always, thank you for reading, subscribing, and sharing this newsletter! Take some time to savor the long weekend ahead, and I’ll see you in your inbox next Tuesday with another edition of Mental Health is Political.