Mental Health

June 2024 | www.futureofpersonalhealth.com

“Meditation, yoga, mindfulness, deep breathing, and other stress-management techniques can help relieve the physical symptoms of stress.”

Kathleen Cameron, Senior Director, Center for Healthy Aging, National Council on Aging Page 03

An independent supplement by Mediaplanet to USA Today

“I’m trying to let go of the perfectionism around self-care, and return to the truth. I know these habits are helpful and they yield meaningful growth.”

Alyson Stoner, Actor and Author Page 07

The founder and executive director of the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation talk about improving mental health care for marginalized communities

TARAJI P. HENSON & TRACIE JADE JENKINS

Recovery Happens: People With Substance Use, Mental Health Problems

Regain Their Lives

The pandemic highlighted behavioral health challenges. Fortunately, there is hope, and SAMHSA funds and promotes resources to help Americans walk in recovery.

Every day, Americans with substance use and mental health conditions embark on the path to recovery to regain their lives. The stakes have never been greater.

During the pandemic, fentanyl contributed to fatal overdoses surging to a staggering 107,000 in a 12-month mark in 2021. Mental health problems have increased significantly, particularly among our young people. Americans from every background have been impacted.

But, there also have been gains — developments that inform my job as the director of the Office of Recovery at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and that give me hope for our nation’s well-being.

Open dialogue

A cultural focus emerged during the pandemic: an increased willingness in society to discuss mental health and the importance of self-care. Whether on traditional media or social media, more people have discussed how to remain connected to each other and to community. Like never before, America is bringing mental health problems and the promise of recovery out of the darkness and into the light in both public and private forums.

And Americans are pursuing recovery. SAMHSA’s annual National Survey on Drug

Use and Health found that, in 2021, 70% of adults (or 21 million Americans) who had a substance use condition identified as being in recovery, with two-thirds of adults (or 39 million Americans) with a mental health condition reporting they were in recovery.

We have also learned a great deal about what facilitates recovery. SAMHSA recognizes that people need access to effective mental healthcare, as well as whole healthcare that addresses primary care needs along with social determinants of health, such as housing and employment. SAMHSA’s grants support treatment and recovery support services nationwide.

A great example is our State Opioid Response (SOR) grant program. SOR funding has increased access to and retention in opioid use disorder treatment services, provided support for long-term recovery, and enhanced and implemented preventive services, which have been instrumental in addressing the opioid and overdose crisis.

Hope for recovery

Recovery is personal, requiring tailored, individualized care and support. SAMHSA leads efforts to promote behavioral health equity, particularly for underrepresented and under-resourced populations.

We also know traumas from a variety of sources — such as adverse childhood events, disasters, and violence — often precede mental health and addiction problems.

SAMHSA works to prevent and respond to trauma and its effects.

Finally, we know the solutions to today’s crises require the involvement of people with lived experience — those in recovery and their family members. They bring expertise and experience to help improve the delivery of care. SAMHSA recently issued a Recovery Innovation Challenge to identify innovation advancing recovery and a set of model standards to promote evidence-based peer support approaches. There is hope. Recovery is possible. People, when equipped with evidence-based treatment and recovery supports, are able to regain their lives and contribute to their families and communities. SAMHSA stands with everyone impacted by addictions and mental health conditions so that more people can begin their journeys, and experience the promise and joy of recovery.

• Need mental health support? Visit findsupport.gov

• Need treatment options for substance use or mental health disorders? Call 800-662HELP (4357) or visit findtreatment.gov

• Are you struggling or in crisis? Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org.

Written by Paolo del Vecchio, M.S.W., Director of the Office of Recovery, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Publisher Shannon Ruggiero Managing Director Gretchen Pancak Production Manager Dustin Brennan

Kylie Armishaw

Photo by Lyndon French

8 Things Older Adults Can Do for Better Mental Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20% of people age 55 and older experience some type of mental health concern, such as depression, anxiety, or substance use disorder.

For millions, the pandemic made things worse, and they are still coping with the impact of the isolation and loneliness they experienced. The National Council on Aging (NCOA) offers eight tips that older adults can use to maintain or improve their mental health:

1. If you have an existing mental health condition or substance use disorder, stay in touch with your counselor, therapist, or psychiatrist. Telemedicine — medical consultations via video or phone chat — has been widely adopted in these past few years and makes it easy to have an appointment. Under Medicare, healthcare providers can reduce or waive cost-sharing for telemedicine visits. Check with your provider about specifics.

2. Engage in healthy activities. Get seven to nine hours of sleep each night; eat a healthy, well-balanced diet; do not smoke; and drink no more than one alcoholic drink per day or none at all. Exercise your body and mind. Meditation, walking, gardening, and doing exercise routines in your home or outside are all beneficial to your mental health. Visit your local senior

center and learn about exercise classes or the many other engaging activities they have to offer.

3. Manage your stress. Meditation, yoga, mindfulness, deep breathing, and other stress management techniques can help relieve the physical symptoms of stress and make you feel more relaxed. Join a local meditation or yoga class, or find classes on YouTube to do at home.

4. Stay connected with your family, friends, and other support networks. Having someone to talk to about your needs and feelings is vital for mental health. Contact at least one person per day for continued social connection. Consider asking one person to be your support buddy and have daily check-ins. Join a peer support group, stay connected through the phone or a video platform such as Zoom, or meet in person.

5. Stick to regular routines as much as possible. During the pandemic, you most likely created a new routine to account for working at home, exercising indoors, caring for grandchildren, cleaning, and other daily activities. Continue integrating

old and new enjoyable hobbies into your daily routine.

6. Try to be positive and enjoy the simple things in life. Research has demonstrated the incredible positive effect of appreciating the good things, even when they’re seemingly small. There’s wisdom in the saying, “Stop and smell the roses.”

7. Help others through peer support and check with your neighbors. Helping others gives us a sense of purpose and connection, which is vital for mental health.

8. Visit BenefitsCheckUp.org to see if you qualify for assistance, such as paying for your prescription medications. Financial insecurity is a major source of stress, especially for older adults on fixed incomes. There are hundreds of assistance programs, many of them at the state or local level. This free, confidential tool helps you uncover them.

Written by Kathleen Cameron, Senior Director, Center for Healthy Aging, National Council on Aging (NCOA)

How Taraji P. Henson Is Helping Others Achieve Mental Wealth

We spoke with actress Taraji P. Henson and Tracie Jade Jenkins (executive director of the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation) about the challenges young people, women, and people color face in accessing quality mental health care, and the resources available to ensure these communities can improve and maintain their mental health.

What inspired you to become a mental health advocate?

Taraji P. Henson: My advocacy originated from necessity, love, and to honor my dad. The resources were so minimal or nonexistent for Black people, the stigma is so high in our community, and really watching him experience PTSD, something that is its own epidemic, after returning from the Vietnam War required me to do something. It was overwhelming, but also the start of my healing, growth, appreciation, and where I developed the mindset that this is mental wealth.

It is a daily practice of mine and something I have been so proud to share and engage with through my son, too. His needs, my needs, yours, and everyone else’s differ, and I learned to recognize that through creating dialogue, practicing, and defying stigmas to be the best person he can be. This is one of the many reasons why we need to keep doing this work, and how we can honor those who didn’t have the same access or have not made it to the point where they feel comfortable enough yet to engage in this space. But I’ll keep trying to help anyone I can!

Why is it important to talk about women’s mental health?

TH: Women do everything. And I

mean everything. Talking about mental health is an extension of community, and so much of that is required to exist successfully. The more we speak, the more we normalize. That is the key, and you cannot raise awareness in silence. It helps us to know what to look out for on behalf of ourselves, as well as those around us. That’s the only way any of us can truly be successful.

Why is culturally relevant therapy an important part of mental health access?

Tracie Jade Jenkins: Healing is cultural, and culture is healing!

Culture is one of the most profound influences in our lives and impacts how we communicate, engage with the world around us, and how we think and feel about our own health, seeking treatment, and the recovery process.

Culturally relevant therapies then are a critical aspect of mental health access, because it ensures clients are accessing care that will be sensitive to their unique experiences, meaningful, and aligned with their values and beliefs. All of which lead to more positive treatment outcomes. In essence, culturally relevant therapies promote a deeper therapeutic relationship, encourage openness and authenticity, and tailor treatment to individual cultural contexts.

And it’s important to note that culturally relevant therapy is important for ALL clients, not just clients of color.

What unique mental health challenges do women in communities of color face?

TH: I speak for myself, from my personal experiences, and those around me who have shared their own journeys, and a common expectation is that we continue on as normal and don’t speak about this outside of the house. That’s very traditional to keep business amongst your circle, but when it extends beyond and in spaces like mental health, our challenges only continue to multiply.

Access to resources, therapists (especially in-network ones if you are fortunate to have health insurance), ability to make appointments without missing work, these are all relatively common things that often magnify in our community. History has also shown that in the medical and mental health spaces, Black people and Black women are often not taken seriously, too. Part of why we created my “Can We Talk?” symposium and have a list of various resources available through my foundation’s website is because many women don’t even know where to start, or it feels very daunting, especially in the middle of whatever you may be experiencing.

Taraji P. Henson (right) & Tracie Jade Jenkins (left)

Photo Courtesy of the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation

How Glenn Close Is Helping Youths Discuss Mental Health

When mental illness hit close to home for actress Glenn Close, she was compelled to do something to help others struggling get the care and support they need. Now, Bring Change to Mind is breaking down the mental health stigma among our nation’s youth.

Nearly 15 years ago, Glenn Close’s sister, Jessie, told Glenn she was having regular suicidal thoughts.

“I had absolutely no clue she was struggling,” Glenn said.

Jessie was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and her son, Calen, with schizophrenia. They both received the treatment and support they needed to address their conditions, but reaching out to receive that care — even from a supportive loved one — was extremely difficult.

“They said the stigma they were experiencing could be worse than the chronic diseases they were struggling to manage,” Close said.

Further conversations with her family made Close feel compelled to use her platform to help end the stigma surrounding mental health and illness.

“I told my family that I would do something as long as they would do it with me,” she said. From those conversations, Bring Change to Mind (BC2M) was born.

Erasing the stigma

BC2M is an organization aimed at ending the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness, and bringing important conversations about the topic to the forefront. The non-profit accomplishes this by creating multimedia campaigns, storytelling movements, and youth programs centered around mental health.

“We saw that in working with youth, we

could really change the trajectory of a young person’s life,” said Pamela Harrington, BC2M’s executive director.

More than 100,000 kids have gone through BC2M’s high school program, which is active in 40 states. According to Harrington, the program usually comes to schools after students raise concerns about their own or their peers’ mental health, which creates an effective environment for open and honest conversation.

“The kids get it,” Close said. “They are not afraid to talk to each other, peer-to-peer, about the challenges they face. They find out very quickly that they are not alone.”

BC2M’s research-backed program centers around peer-to-peer games, presentations, and conversations. This approach fosters more honest dialogue while the program is ongoing, and makes it easier for kids to ask for — or offer to — help when needed in the future.

“It’s all about keeping lines of communication open,” said Lynn E. Fiellin, M.D., a professor of medicine at the Yale Child Study Center and member of BC2M’s Scientific Advisory Board. “Bring Change to Mind does such a great job of creating a safe space for kids to work through — in a positive way — some of the issues their peers may be having.”

The future

BC2M is looking to expand its youth offerings even further. It recently launched a Middle

School Pilot Program designed specifically for 7th and 8th Grade students.

“Coming out of the pandemic, we saw the need for this type of programming is becoming so much more widespread,” Harrington said, “and the groups we need to reach are even younger.”

Harrington sees BC2M’s youth programs reaching far beyond the kids physically involved in them. She says that in polls they’ve run with program attendees, more than 70% say they’re now interested in working in behavioral health.

“I have the most incredible amount of hope, seeing how these students have gravitated toward courageous and vulnerable conversations,” Harrington said. “They’re demanding that we have better systems, better policies, and better leaders. And, eventually, they’re going to become those leaders.”

For Close, BC2M is growing into the force for good she and her sister had envisioned it to be, and is accomplishing its mission of opening the door for important conversations around mental health.

“What we’re seeing is that if you think you’re alone, millions of others are going through the same thing,” Close said. “What you thought of as a weakness will become your strength. But along the way, you will need a vigilant support system.”

Written by Dustin Brennan

Glenn Close | Photo by Brigitte Lacombe

Actor and Author Alyson Stoner on Using Movement to Empower and Reconnect the Mind and Body

Alyson Stoner has been in over 200 movies, TV shows, and other productions. But these days, their biggest role is being a mental health advocate.

The 30-year-old has written a book, “MIND BODY PRIDE: The 7-Step Guide for Deeper Inner Connection.”

“I wanted to provide a place for queer folks to reconnect their mind and body, and uncover the story that they internalized, so that they can feel free to start telling a new story,” Stoner said.

Stoner wrote the book after they started studying the disproportionate challenges that queer folks face in terms of mental and physical health. They learned about the higher rates of violence and suicide, and that many in the LGBTQIA+ community feel like outsiders in society.

The book explores the mindbody connection, helping readers reconnect with themselves, release stress, and embody their authentic well-being.

The feedback is awe-inspiring: “To hear that people feel free to be themselves and to reclaim their story is the best news, and it is totally the path that I want to continue on,” Stoner said.

Connecting to their why Stoner grew up in the spotlight. Their breakout role was dancing in Missy Elliott’s “Work It” video. They were a Disney star after that, landing roles in “Camp Rock,” “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody,”

and “Cheaper by the Dozen,” among others.

“I had a very chaotic upbringing, so the best thing I can offer myself currently is structure and civilization,” Stoner said. “Having space for consistency, reliability, and I currently have a personal practice of meditation, movement, and reading every day.”

Stoner is intentional about setting time aside for their self-care practices, but they’re flexible about the duration and intensity. Stoner stays motivated by focusing on their why — that their well-being helps them better serve others.

“I’m trying to let go of the perfectionism around self-care, and return to the truth,” Stoner said. “I know these habits are helpful and they yield to meaningful growth, so it’s worth continuing to apply energy toward them.”

Feeling confident

The actor knows how tough it can be growing up and understanding what’s happening in your mind and body.

Stoner says it helps to ask yourself, “What would make you feel more confident?” Lean into your answer.

For example, Stoner researched the science of how their thoughts and feelings operated, so they weren’t surprised or

embarrassed by them. Some find an artistic outlet to help them release and process emotions in uncomfortable moments. Others tell someone they’re struggling so they don’t have to face things alone.

Movement Genius

Stoner wants to make personal transformation accessible, affordable, and relevant for everyone. They encourage people to, “know that you are deserving and worthy of health and well-being, in a way that works authentically for you.”

Stoner’s company, Movement Genius, is a healing virtual space that anyone can access. It’s dedicated to providing movement-based practices for people

to improve their mental and emotional health.

The non-athletic classes, which are tailored to natural body language, are designed alongside clinicians and psychotherapists to ensure they have therapeutic senses. For example, there are classes for people to do while seated at their desk, as well as a looping meditation and open guided movements.

“We’re in our first round of people trying the classes, and seeing the transformation taking place in real time is so encouraging and such a phenomenal indicator of our ability to heal and to actualize our fullest potential,” Stoner said.

Written by Kristen Castillo

Alyson Stoner | Photo by Adam Battaglia