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Advocates push to raise awareness of mental health in minority communities

 
Aaron’s House founder and mental health advocate Pamela Robinson says having a system of support and an outlet for respite is crucial for caregivers, especially within the African American community where many are reluctant to request assistance.
Aaron’s House founder and mental health advocate Pamela Robinson says having a system of support and an outlet for respite is crucial for caregivers, especially within the African American community where many are reluctant to request assistance.
Published July 28, 2017

On the surface, Karin Thompson's daughter is like most teenage girls.

The 16-year-old is a Disney movie buff, loves to shop, and wears different hairstyles. She keeps up several hobbies including drawing and writing.

But unlike many of her peers, Thompson's daughter can't be left home alone, not even for short periods of time. She needs daily reminders and guidance about basic hygiene practices.

And thanks to bipolar disorder, Thompson's daughter (whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy) reacts to situations and processes information much differently than a typical teenager. The manic-depressive illness is characterized by extreme mood swings with emotional highs and lows.

Raising a child that's mentally ill has it challenges, among them access to care and knocking down miseducation about what being mentally ill is and is not, Thompson said.

"It's difficult when it's a disability dealing with the mind," she said. "It's hard for people to understand."

It's estimated that one in five suffer from mental illness. July is Minority Mental Illness Awareness month and healthcare professionals and advocates for the mentally ill say while awareness and care have come a long way in the last 20 years, there's still much work to do to dispel myths in minority communities.

According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population.

Homelessness and domestic violence can increase the group's risk for developing mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

While awareness about mental illness is much more common today, it remains a topic shrouded in secrecy and whispers.

Dr. Vashaun Williams, a board certified psychiatrist at Gracepoint, said continuous education will be key to changing attitudes about mental illness within the African-American community.

"Informing individuals in general is very important," he said. "As we (talk about) what mental illness is, the more we can educate on what it looks like."

Because people are more receptive to information and assistance from those who look like them, Williams said he's motivated to pull more African-Americans like himself into the profession.

Pamela Robinson, whose son Aaron suffered from bipolar disorder before his death following a psychotic episode, said she had difficulty finding a doctor who could relate to her son.

"We would go to different psychiatrists and they were so cold," she said.

An attorney, Robinson said she found Aaron's House — a Tampa-based nonprofit organization that provides support and resources to those suffering from bipolar disorder and their families — to help caregivers manage the stress and discouragement they'll face as they care for their loved ones.

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Having a system of support and an outlet for respite is crucial for caregivers, especially within the African American community where many are reluctant to request assistance, Robinson said.

"As a community, I don't know why it is we don't seek the help that's needed," she said.

Transparency about her journey as the parent and caregiver of a mentally ill child with the general public is the next step for Thompson, who adopted her daughter when she was 2 years old.

Much of what Thompson knows now about raising a child with bipolar disorder and being an advocate for her daughter was learned on the fly.

She's currently working on a book that shares the ups and downs she's experienced. Most importantly, Thompson hopes it will serve as a guide to helping parents like her navigate the mental health system and make it easier to access services and resources.

"If nobody really talks about these issues, people will be suffering in silence," she said. "There's no need to be ashamed of it."

Contact Kenya Woodard at hillsnews@tampabay.com.