Have you lost sleep over your work? How many days in a row did you forget to eat lunch, or take time away from your desk to get some fresh air? How often do you work through the weekend forfeiting time with friends and family? And when we add the stress of these last couple of years on top of it all, it’s no wonder most of us are having a hard time.
College campuses are a microcosm of racial strife happening across the nation. From 2018 to 2021, the Southern Poverty Law Center identified 1,341 incidents of white supremacist pamphleteering on college campuses. The Anti-Defamation League recorded around 630 incidents of white supremacist propaganda being distributed on campuses in 2019.
Navigating complex public health systems and social services can be painfully difficult for those who don’t understand it, and California’s mental health system is no exception. For some people, not knowing what public mental health services are available or which ones they qualify for can prevent them from seeking care. For others, challenges finding mental health providers who speak the same language are a barrier. In many communities, community health workers offer critical relief to this problem.
While still jarringly high, U.S. suicide rates fell in 2019 and again in 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month. The year-over-year rate declined by 3 percent overall, falling by 8 percent among women and 2 percent among men. But there were some stark outliers. Notably, suicides among Latino men increased by nearly 6 percent.
Weird. Unaccepted. Judged. Growing up as a Mexican-American in a home that did not prioritize Mexican culture, I developed these feelings early in my youth. I was influenced by many different cultures growing up. As I encountered people from the same cultural background who were more connected with the traditions than I was, internalized conflict developed.
There are few more important venues than the State of the Union to highlight issues of urgent importance for our country. So we were thrilled to hear President Joe Biden include mental health as part of his “Unity Agenda.”
If you are the parent or guardian of school-aged children, then you likely are aware of the toll the pandemic has taken on their mental health. Our children and youth are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, and loneliness during this challenging time. It’s critical that schools have mental health services so that every child thrives. California’s policy-makers need to understand how essential it is to set this generation on a path to mental wellness. We now have additional information to help guide the way.