Into The Fold: Issues In Mental Health

May is Children’s Mental Health Month. Today we are talking about COVID-19 and its effect on children, youth, and families. In the state of Texas, schools have been shut down since mid-March. Millions of children and adolescents have been sheltering at home. Just as much as kids have never needed more attention, parents have never needed more of a break. On top of that, we have good reason to believe that home is necessarily the safest place for kids. To help make sense of it all, we are joined by a pair of Austin-based experts who come at this from the perspectives of both healthcare professionals and parents. Dr. Allison Hall is a pediatric physical therapist and the CEO/founder of My Kid Blooms, a digital resource for parents to find pediatric and OB/GYN health-related information and professionals that match the needs of their families. Dr. Nakia Scott is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the owner of Holistic Mental Health. Related links: COVID-19: Protecting Kids from the Fear Pandemic ht

It is fashionable to say that coronavirus doesn't discriminate, but this may be misleading. In fact, there is compelling data suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting some communities harder than others. A new study conducted by epidemiologists and clinician-researchers from six organizations and universities across the country found that counties with high rates of African American residents comprised 52 percent of all diagnoses and 58 percent of all COVID-19 deaths nationally. According to an analysis by American Public Media Research, blacks, despite making up about 13% of the US population according to the Census Bureau, are 27% of known COVID-19 deaths. In state after state, there is evidence that this pandemic is having a disproportionate effect on people of color, on the economically precarious, and on already stigmatized populations such as the homeless. These findings may just be the tip of the iceberg. In this episode, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, representing Texas's 20th co

COVID-19 is the world’s biggest story. It is seriously trying people’s emotional, financial, and even spiritual ability to cope. In this episode of Into the Fold, we are joined by Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, who has been front and center in coordinating the official response to the pandemic for Travis County, and Carrie Barron, M.D., Director of Creativity for Resilience Program at Dell Medical School, to discuss the reality of the pandemic and strategies for coping with, and hopefully, finding some peace within, this time of uncertainty. Related links: Resources for Mental Health and COVID-19 https://hogg.utexas.edu/news-resources/mental-health-and-covid-19 Census 2020 in the Time of Coronavirus https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-census-2020-in-the-time-of-coronavirus The coronavirus crisis exposes our society’s weaknesses. It’s time to correct them. https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-coronavirus-crisis-exposes-our-societys-weaknesses COVID-19: Protecting Kids from the Fear Pandemic https://hogg.utexas.ed

This year’s census is extraordinarily for one main reason. It is taking place under the shadow of a public health emergency: coronavirus, which is currently consuming people’s attention here in the U.S. and worldwide. Our two guests, Katie Martin Lightfoot and Ava Graves, join us to discuss Census 2020 in general and in the impact of coronavirus in particular. Related links: Texas Communities Count https://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/texas-communities-count

In honor of Women’s History Month, this episode of Into the Fold features the voices of three extraordinary women in the Hogg Foundation’s history. First, we hear from Bert Kruger Smith, the longtime host of the Human Condition radio series, and her interview guest, Efua Sutherland, the Ghanaian playwright, director, researcher and children’s rights advocate. We also hear from former employee of the Hogg Foundation, Linda Swan-Adkins, whose eye-witness account of the tragic 1966 UT tower shooting is an important piece of Texas history. Related links: Episode 77: Consumer Voice: Its Role in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-consumer-voice Episode 33: Nightmare at Noon - The UT Tower Shooting https://hogg.utexas.edu/nightmare-at-noon-the-ut-tower-shooting

This episode of Into the Fold takes place against the backdrop of the 20th anniversary of the annual Central Texas African American Family Support Conference (CTAAFSC), where we talked with two of the event’s keynote speakers Dr. King Davis, and Dr. Altha J. Stewart, about historic issues of race in psychiatry and the importance of defining health equity as a matter of social justice. Related links: Episode 11: The Central Lunatic Asylum for Colored Insane https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-patricia-galloway-on-historic-digital-archive-of-psychiatric-hospital-records-from-segregated-era Episode 26: King Davis on the Segregated Past, the Fractured Present https://hogg.utexas.edu/into-the-fold-episode-26-king-davis-on-the-segregated-past-the-fractured-present Hogg Foundation Launches Healthy Minds Grants for African American Mental Health, Well-being https://hogg.utexas.edu/hogg-foundation-launches-healthy-minds-grants-for-african-american-mental-health-well-being

February is Youth Leadership Month. In this episode of Into the Fold, we talk with three young people who are change-makers in their communities. Through two of the Hogg Foundation’s latest initiatives, these youths have been empowered to embrace new leadership opportunities to help improve their neighborhoods and communities. Our three guests, Kam’rin Christal, Cristina Figueroa, and Ricky Longoria, share their experiences with us and offer wisdom on how to further cultivate youth leadership across communities. Related links: Episode 88: Young Minds Matter https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-young-minds-matter Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar 2019: Working Together for Rural Well-being https://hogg.utexas.edu/events-networks/rls-seminar Communities of Care https://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/communities-of-care-houston Collaborative Approaches to Well-being in Rural Communities https://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/collaborative-approaches-well-being-rural-communities

In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th, this episode of Into the Fold features an interview from a late 1970s episode of the Human Condition, a radio series produced by the Hogg Foundation between 1972 and 1983. Longtime host of the Human Condition, Bert Kruger Smith, speaks with eminent Holocaust scholar Raul Hilberg, who died in 2007, about the conditions that led to the Holocaust and what happened in the minds of the people committing atrocities in the name of the Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.

Across medicine, psychiatry, and neurology, it was long believed that the immune system held sway over every system in the body - except for the brain. In this episode of Into the Fold, we discuss the newly understood role of microglial cells, which are brain cells that, according to groundbreaking scientific research, prove the interconnectedness of our bodies’ and our minds’ regulatory systems, disrupting centuries-old assumptions about mental, cognitive, and physical health issues. Award-winning journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa returns to the podcast to discuss the implications of this discovery and her new book, The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell that Changed the Course of Medicine. Related links: Episode 17, Childhood Disrupted https://soundcloud.com/hoggfoundation/episode-17-childhood-disrupted Episode 32: Early Intervention in Psychosis https://hogg.utexas.edu/early-intervention-in-psychosis Episode 74: First Episode Psychosis: A Path for Better Outcomes https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcas

For many indigenous Americans, Thanksgiving is not just problematic -- it commemorates genocide, dispossession, forced removal, and cultural erasure. This emotional gauntlet has mental health implications that we will be discussing in this episode. For this discussion, we are joined by Angela Vela-Arce, master's student at the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work and director of the Native American and Indigenous Collective, which is part of the Multicultural Engagement Center at UT Austin. Angela brings a perspective on indigenous mental health that speaks to the experiences of young people and indigenous students on campus. Related links: Episode 67: Supporting DACA Students https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-supporting-daca-students Episode 65: The Past Does Matter: Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-the-past-does-matter Episode 88: Young Minds Matter https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-young-minds-matter

This episode takes place against the backdrop of Young Minds Matter 2019, a one-day conference held by the Hogg Foundation in Houston, Texas on Oct. 23, 2019. The theme for the event was “Community Connections for Well-being.” We unpack what that phrase means with the help of three powerful, unique voices from the event: Marlon Lizama, a Houston spoken word artist and co-founder of the Iconoclast Artists program that empowers youth through the arts; Dr. Howard Pinderhughes, chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Science at University of California San Francisco; and Dr. Nia West-Bey, a senior policy analyst with the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). Weaving together strands that include themes of historical and cultural trauma, personal narrative, poetry and social science, these conversations converge on the central question: What does it truly mean to care about young minds? Related links: Young Minds Matter 2019 https://hogg.utexas.edu/events-networks/young-minds-matter Young Minds Ma

Leading into the 86th Texas Legislative Session, much attention was given to the topics of mental health and safety in schools. Recent tragedies, including the Santa Fe High School shooting, emphasized the need to explore how to best support students, their teachers, and our schools as a whole. Senate Bill 11 (SB11), a major focus of this session, aimed to address safe and supportive schools, with mental health being just one component of this legislation. This week we are joined by Tracey Spinner, Director of Comprehensive Health Services and Mental Health for Austin Independent School District (AISD), and Shannon Hoffman, Policy Program Specialist for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, to discuss SB11, and the challenges of and strategies for balancing mental health and safety in schools. Related links: Episode 42: Mental Health in Schools http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-mental-health-schools Episode 22: Restorative Discipline in Schools http://hogg.utexas.edu/into-the-fold-episode-22-restorative-

The troubling issue of youth suicide has emerged as a top-level concern for the community of Brooks County, Texas. Located in far South Texas, Brooks is one of the most underserved regions in the state. Ranked next-to-last out of 242 Texas counties on overall health outcomes by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Brooks County has a 32 percent poverty rate amid a 90 percent Hispanic population. The month of September is Suicide Awareness Month. We're taking a look at suicide as a community-level problem, one that calls for community-level solutions. April Anzaldua, Project Director for the Behavioral and Health Outreach Leadership Development (BHOLD) Project, joins us for a discussion of the challenges and strengths of Brooks County youth in the context of her collaborative work. Related links: Reflections from the Working Together for Rural Well-being Seminar http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-rls-reflections Five Rural Counties on a Mental Health Mission http://hogg.utexas.edu/five-rural-counties Coll

Refugees have a lot to teach us about resilience. Amid all the uncertainty, they work hard to maintain family and community ties, keep up their optimism, and look after their physical and mental health. Our guest for this episode, Dr. Sophia Banu, is a psychiatrist and founder of the Clinic for International Trauma Survivors in Houston, Texas. She has extensive experience working with torture survivors and refugees from countries all over the world. Related links: To Help Separated Families, Tap Mental Health Experts http://hogg.utexas.edu/help-separated-families Deportation Anxiety for Today’s Young Adults http://hogg.utexas.edu/deportation-anxiety-young-adults-podcast Supporting DACA Students http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-supporting-daca-students Deportation Threat and the Children of the Undocumented https://soundcloud.com/hoggfoundation/into-the-fold-episode-13

In June, as part of an ongoing effort to support people experiencing homelessness and strengthen conditions that aid well-being and recovery, the Austin City Council voted to decriminalize the act of sitting, laying or camping in public places. The policy, which altered three city ordinances and went into effect the following month, has earned its fair share of detractors who cite fears for public safety and potential violations of private property as reason for dissent. Steve Adler is the 52nd Mayor of the city of Austin, Texas. In this episode, he discusses the new city ordinance that has divided public opinion. Related links: Episode 78: Mental Health and Housing: The Need for Alternatives http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-mental-health-housing-alternatives

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Amid the growing conversation around men and mental health, there is also an increasing focus on the unique pressures facing men of color in our society. What should the mental health profession be keeping in mind about the well-being of this diverse population? What can these men do to help themselves, and how can they be better supported? Here to help us explore solutions is Dr. Calvin Kelly, dean of students at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Episode 10: The Threat of Stereotypes http://hogg.utexas.edu/into-the-fold-episode-10-the-threat-of-stereotypes Episode 6: The Past Does Matter: A Look at Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-the-past-does-matter Episode 34: Mental Health and the Black Student Athlete http://hogg.utexas.edu/black-student-athlete-mental-health How to Make Real Mental Health Changes for Men of Color http://hogg.utexas.edu/minority-men-mental-health Making Connections for Mental Health and Wellbeing Am

In the midst of LGBTQ Pride Month, Shane Whalley, a genderqueer social worker, educator and facilitator in Austin, Texas, joined us to talk about the intersection of mental well-being and gender identity, as shown through the lens of hir own lived experience. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and allied (LGBTQIA) people have seen great progress in recent decades, but the recent change in the political and social climate of the U.S., combined with ongoing stigma and discrimination, is threatening this community's civil rights and mental health. A recent report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law ranks Texas in the bottom quarter of states in terms of social support for LGBTQIA people. Whalley is determined to change this. Listen to today's episode to hear Whalley's story, get educated about pronouns, and learn how to be an effective ally.

With record numbers of Americans now living to age 90 and beyond, the mental health, in addition to the physical health, of this population needs our focus. Even if an older adult makes monthly trips to their primary care provider, cases of depression and anxiety might be misdiagnosed or disregarded altogether due to age-based biases. In an older patient, telltale signs of depression — such as gaps in memory, loss of appetite and withdrawal from social circles — are too often conflated with symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer’s and other potentially co-occurring illnesses. On this episode, Carly Bassett of Family Eldercare in Austin shares advice on how to support the mental health of older adults. Wallace Award Winner Completes Doctoral Dissertation http://hogg.utexas.edu/the-health-cost-of-aging-in-america The Health Cost of Aging in America http://hogg.utexas.edu/wallace-award-winner-completes-doctoral-dissertation The State of Mental Health and Aging in America https://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/mental_health

For the 80th episode of our Into the Fold podcast, we are sharing key takeaways from last month’s Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar, which took place in Bastrop, Texas. For one special day, people from across Texas, from all walks of life and professions, converged to learn together and share inspiration around the timely theme of “Working Together for Rural Well-being.” Beginning in 1978, the Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar is a biennial event of the Hogg Foundation—each year focusing on a different mental health topic. For this special episode, we caught up with some attendees to get their reflections about the topics discussed at the event. Two themes emerged: the need to strengthen connections and move upstream. Seminar Slides: http://hogg.utexas.edu/events-networks/rls-seminar/resources 5 Rural Counties on a Mental Health Mission: http://hogg.utexas.edu/five-rural-counties Perspectives: Collaborating for Community Change http://hogg.utexas.edu/perspectives-speakers Video: Robert Shankle on Impact Lufkin

May is Children’s Mental Health Month. For children to thrive and be healthy, it’s important to provide supports for every aspect of child development—to nurture their environments and relationships as much as the children themselves. Maternal mental health has emerged as an important area of forward-thinking policy and person-centered practice that positively impacts children. On this episode Kaitlyn Doerge of Texas Pediatric Society and Adriana Kohler of Texans Care for Children provide valuable insight on the scope of the challenge and what it means for Texas children. Related links: The “Double Stigma” Faced by Adolescent Mothers with Depression http://hogg.utexas.edu/double-stigma-faced-adolescent-mothers-depression Postpartum Depression and Women’s Mental Health Literacy http://hogg.utexas.edu/wallace-award-winner-postpartum-depression-and-womens-mental-health-literacy Alone No More: How Texas Policymakers How Texas Policymakers Can Support Mothers with Perinatal Depression https://static1.squarespa