1) Mental health does not equal mental illness. This association prevents people from seeking mental health care.
2) Financial barriers are often a barrier in seeking mental health care.
3) Representation is important for many, so help students identify providers who are from their communities.
4) Accessibility can also be a barrier, so consider accessibility as you refer students for medical care.
5) Educators can be great resources if they are familiar with mental health resources in their community.
6) Diagnosis is a privilege! Misdiagnosis and under-diagnosis of symptoms are challenges in the western medical model.
7) Practitioners tend to overemphasize psychotic symptoms in Black patients and underdiagnose major depressive disorder.
8) Even with an accurate diagnosis there are limited acceptable treatments under the Western Medical Model.
9) Evidence-based practices have limited understandings of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities.
10) It can be helpful to make a list of what you want and don't want before seeking mental health care. For example, do you want a provide whose background is similar to yours, do you want someone who is open to nontraditional treatments, do you want someone who is less likely to prescribe mediation?
Comments
In my post about the top ten takeaways, that last bullet is supposed to read "10) It can be helpful to make a list of what you want and don't want before seeking mental health care. For example, do you want a provide whose background is similar to yours, do you want someone who is open to nontraditional treatments, do you want someone who is less likely to prescribe medication?