Telemental Health Delivery for Rural Native American Populations in the United States

Author(s):  
Shawn S. Sidhu ◽  
Chris Fore ◽  
Jay H. Shore ◽  
Erin Tansey

Telemental Health is a viable treatment model for delivering quality mental health care to Native American communities where the burden of mental health conditions and difficulty accessing care continue. This chapter reviews the available evidence supporting the acceptability and efficacy of Telemental health in Native American groups. While many barriers to the use of Telemental Health in Native communities exist, there are simultaneously many facilitators of this treatment model. Future directions include addressing these barriers, improving collaboration with Native communities, ensuring Telemental Health remains financially viable, and using technology to expand the reach of this treatment modality.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiting Xie

BACKGROUND Many people are affected by mental health conditions, yet its prevalence in certain populations are not well documented. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to describe the attributes of people with mental health conditions in U.S and SG in terms of: perception of mental health recovery and its correlates such as strengths self-efficacy, resourcefulness and stigma experience. With the findings, not only could the knowledge base for mental health recovery in both countries be enhanced but interventions and policies relating to self-efficacy, resourcefulness and de-stigmatization for mental health recovery could be informed. METHODS A A cross-sectional, descriptive study with convenience sample of 200 community dwelling adults were selected, 100 pax from the United States (U.S) and 100 pax from Singapore (SG). Adults with serious mental illnesses without substance abuse impacting on their recovery were recruited. Participants completed self-administered questionaires measuring their mental health recovery, strengths self-efficacy, resourcefulness and stigma experience. RESULTS This study offered the unique opportunity to examine mental health recovery as well as its correlates such as strengths self-efficacy, resourcefulness and stigma experience from both the United States and Singapore. While the perception of mental health recovery and positive attributes like strengths self-efficacy and resourcefulness remained strong in participants with serious mental illnesses across both countries, people with serious mental illnesses in both countries still experienced negative perception like stigma. The findings would not only inform strategies to promote mental health recovery but also enhance the focus on correlates such as strengths self-efficacy and resourcefulness across both countries. CONCLUSIONS The findings would not only inform strategies to promote mental health recovery but also enhance the focus on correlates such as strengths self-efficacy and resourcefulness across both countries.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Raymond Foxworth ◽  
Laura E. Evans ◽  
Gabriel R. Sanchez ◽  
Cheryl Ellenwood ◽  
Carmela M. Roybal

We draw on new and original data to examine both partisan and systemic inequities that have fueled the spread of COVID-19 in Native America. We show how continued political marginalization of Native Americans has compounded longstanding inequalities and endangered the lives of Native peoples. Native nations have experienced disproportionate effects from prior health epidemics and pandemics, and in 2020, Native communities have seen greater rates of infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. We find that Native nations have more COVID-19 cases if they are located in states with a higher ratio of Trump supporters and reside in states with Republican governors. Where there is longstanding marginalization, measured by lack of clean water on tribal lands and health information in Native languages, we find more COVID-19 cases. Federal law enables non-members to flout tribal health regulations while on tribal lands, and correspondingly, we find that COVID-19 cases rise when non-members travel onto tribal lands. Our findings engage the literatures on Native American politics, health policy within U.S. federalism, and structural health inequalities, and should be of interest to both scholars and practitioners interested in understanding COVID-19 outcomes across Tribes in the United States.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn R. Grauerholz ◽  
Shandeigh N. Berry ◽  
Rebecca M. Capuano ◽  
Jillian M. Early

IntroductionThere is a paucity of clinical guidelines for the routine assessment of maladaptive reproductive grief reactions in outpatient primary care and OB-GYN settings in the United States. Because of the disenfranchised nature of perinatal grief reactions, many clinicians may be apt to miss or dismiss a grief reaction that was not identified in the perinatal period. A significant number of those experiencing a reproductive loss exhibit signs of anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Reproductive losses are typically screened for and recorded numerically as part of a woman’s well-visit intake, yet this process often fails to identify patients emotionally troubled by a prior pregnancy loss.Materials and MethodsA summative content analysis of 164 recent website blogs from female participants who self-reported having experienced a miscarriage or abortion in their lifetime was conducted. The narratives were reviewed for details regarding the time span between the pregnancy loss and the composition of the blog post. The stories were analyzed for subsequent relationship problems and detrimental mental health conditions. Maladaptive reactions were contrasted for those that indicated a greater than 12 months’ time-lapse and those who had not.ResultsMore than a third (39.6%) of the women reported in the narrative that at least one year or more had passed since experiencing the miscarriage or abortion. For those women, the median time span between the loss and composing the blog was 4 years with a range of 47 years. Mental health conditions attributed to the reproductive loss by those who reported longer bereavement times included subsequent relationship problems, substance misuse, depression, suicidal ideation, and PTSD. The percent of reported maladaptive issues was more than double (136.9% vs. 63.6%) for those who reported that a year or more had passed since the loss of the pregnancy.DiscussionGrief reactions following the loss of a pregnancy may be prolonged or delayed for several months which can contribute to adverse biopsychosocial outcomes. Recognition and treatment of maladaptive grief reactions following a pregnancy loss are critical. Screening methods should be enhanced for clinicians in medical office settings to help identify and expedite the appropriate mental health assistance.


Author(s):  
Eugenio M. Rothe ◽  
Andres J. Pumariega

This chapter presents conclusions and future directions on culture, identity, and mental health, including the importance of identity and culture, separations and mourning as an important part of the immigrant experience, immigration-related separations, understanding acculturation, transnational identities, pilgrimages, and return migrations, understanding and treating refugees and special populations, criminality among immigrants to the United States, immigration and race, American narratives and immigrant narratives, treatment of immigrants and the children of immigrants, alternative futures for cultural identity – intercultural future and tribalistic future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (9) ◽  
pp. 1308-1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadiq Y. Patel ◽  
Haiden A. Huskamp ◽  
Alisa B. Busch ◽  
Ateev Mehrotra

Objectives. To examine whether growing use of telemental health (TMH) has reduced the rural–urban gap in specialty mental health care use in the United States. Methods. Using 2010–2017 Medicare data, we analyzed trends in the rural–urban difference in rates of specialty visits (in-person and TMH). Results. Among rural beneficiaries diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, TMH use grew by 425% over the 8 years and, in higher-use rural areas, accounted for one quarter of all specialty mental health visits in 2017. Among patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, TMH visits differentially grew in rural areas by 0.14 visits from 2010 to 2017. This growth partially offset the 0.42-visit differential decline in in-person visits in rural areas. In net, the gap between rural and urban patients in specialty visits was larger by 2017. Conclusions. TMH has improved access to specialty care in rural areas, particularly for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. While growth in TMH use has been insufficient to eliminate the overall rural–urban difference in specialty care use, this difference may have been larger if not for TMH. Public Health Implications. Targeted policy to extend TMH to underserved areas may help offset declines in in-person specialty care.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. e51-e51
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Bahassan ◽  
Colin Depp

Abstract BACKGROUND Reports in 2015 showed that premature birth rate in the United States increased when compared to 2014 data, and this was the first increment since 2007. Major complications of prematurity and birth weight abnormalities are well known, but other complications including mental health abnormalities require more investigation to understand their association well. OBJECTIVES We aimed in this study to determine if prematurity and birth weight abnormalities including very low birth weight (VLBW) and low birth weight (LBW) are associated with depression among United States children aged between six and seventeen years old. ​ DESIGN/METHODS This is a cross sectional study using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) 2011–2012. When we applied our selection criteria, 84,182 children out of the total 95,677 NSCH population were selected. Our exclusion criteria were: age less than six years, child’s history of cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. Multivariable logistic regression was done to control for confounding effects when studying the association of prematurity, birth weight abnormalities and depression. ​ RESULTS Our results reveal that 3.6% of our population had history of depression, 11% were born prematurely, 7.4% had low birth weight, and 1.5% had very low birth weight. Depression was more frequent in children who were born prematurely (prevalence 4.3%) when compared to children born at term. Different models were built to analyze the association between prematurity, birth weight abnormalities and depression. There was no detectable statistically significant association when controlling for demographic data (age, gender, race, family structure) and mental health risk factors (parental poor mental health, chronic health conditions) as well as other factors. Results reveal that children who had chronic health conditions or had adverse family experiences have greater odds of having depression. On the other hand, African-American, male, and younger (6–11 years old) children have lower odds of depression. ​ CONCLUSION Further longitudinal studies are required to establish a causal relationship of behavioral and psychological complications, and to determine the biological mechanisms of brain development that could be associated with depression among premature infants or those who have birth weight abnormalities.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
James G. Hodge ◽  
Leila Barraza ◽  
Susan Russo ◽  
Kellie Nelson ◽  
Greg Measer

Obesity is the definitive epidemic of the modern era in the United States. Its well-documented public health impacts, especially related to children and adolescents, are horrific. Nearly one-third of American minors are overweight; over 50% of them are obese. Already, these kids suffer from multiple adverse physical and mental health conditions. Sadly, absent serious communal and individual interventions, their lives may be cut short compared to their own parents’ life expectancy. While recent surveillance suggests childhood obesity may be trending down slightly in some populations, public health experts remain concerned about the threat obesity poses to the health of America's youth.The concurrent travesty underlying childhood obesity is the relative societal failure to slow and reverse its spread.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura M. H. Gallo ◽  
Vincent Giampietro ◽  
Patricia A. Zunszain ◽  
Kai Syng Tan

A worldwidemental health crisis is expected, as millions worldwide fear death and disease while being forced into repeated isolation. Thus, there is a need for new proactive approaches to improve mental resilience and prevent mental health conditions. Since the 1990s, art has emerged as an alternative mental health therapy in the United States and Europe, becoming part of the social care agenda. This article focuses on how visual esthetic experiences can create similar patterns of neuronal activity as those observed when the reward system is activated. The activation of the reward structures could have a stress buffering effect, given the interdependence observed between the reward and stress systems. Therefore, could visual esthetic experiences stimulate mental resilience? And if this were the case, could art-based interventions be offered for mental health in the context of COVID-19 and beyond?


2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Lisa Euster

The authors emphasize early what Native American Almanac is not: an almanac, an encyclopedia, nor a scholarly work, among other things. It is described as a well-researched “historical overview of Native communities in what is now the United States” (ix). Despite the title, it is heavily focused on the post-contact period. The main arrangement is by geographical region, with an overview chapter and one discussing urban settings. Each chapter is introduced by a regional history, followed by discussion of tribes, their histories, and other information.


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