Student health starts with the mind
Unfortunately, for some Chicago students located on the South and West Side of the city, access to mental health services is limited and this may contribute to a negative perception of mental health issues in general.
DuSable High School graduate Dexter Kimbrough, 18, said the mental health of students attending his alma mater was often overlooked. Growing up on the South Side, he saw firsthand what could happen when young men in his area ignored their mental health issues. It became clear to him that life in his community came with different circumstances and obstacles.
“I personally feel that my high school did not have adequate mental health services,” Kimbrough said. “Preferably, the tougher the skin you possessed the better you were equipped to deal with the challenges of the South Side of Chicago. I personally did not feel comfortable using these services because of the stigma that comes with it.”
There are negative preconceived notions about those who seek out mental help, especially within Black and Brown communities, which is at the root of the stigma Kimbrough is referring to.
“There is a huge stigma that in Black communities that if you seek mental help outside of your home you are crazy,” Kimbrough said. “I believe kids on Chicago's South and West Sides are dealing with a number of issues that could result in PTSD for some.”
Chicago therapist Steven Jennings of Agave Studios said in his experience there is a noticeable difference in clients from the South and West Side of Chicago compared to other areas.
“When accepting clients from the West or South sides of the city I’ve observed the presence of PTSD and other forms of trauma, psychosis, depression, and anxiety whether it be a result of gun violence, systematic and/or individual racism, and or the domestic violence experienced in many homes,” he said. “Not only do I notice a difference in illnesses which may be present, but oftentimes there is the barrier of poverty, housing, or transportation that becomes a topic in many sessions.”
With Mr. Jennings being an African American male his opinion on why there is a mental health stigma in Black and Brown communities offers insight some might not consider.
“It could be that psychology was not always used with the best intentions,” he said. “It may also be that these cultures have had their own ways of addressing the mind and the body that has not included western cultures' idea of psychology. It could be that mental health issues are often seen as a ‘white problem.’ It is hard to find out exactly why such a diverse group of people may hold certain stigmas related to mental health. However, it is 100% worth addressing.”
At least a few schools in the Chicagoland area offer mental health services on the city’s South and West Sides including Chicago Vocational Career Academy (CVCA). CVCA school counselor Betsy Salomon-Auguste shared her thoughts on the accessibility of mental health services at her school.
“I feel that my school has adequate mental health services. We have an active behavioral health team that meets on a weekly basis. We have two counselors, one counselor/case manager and two social workers. We also have a student engagement specialist. We run groups every semester,” said Auguste, a counselor with 15 years of experience. “We have students complete a questionnaire so that we can create relevant groups. We also have a referral system with our teachers so that they can refer students who are in need of mental health counseling.”
Even though Auguste believes her school is well equipped with mental health resources she can still recognize that students in more low income areas pose more of a mental health risk than most.
“I do feel that the South and West Side students are more at risk especially due to their neighborhoods,” said Auguste. “Students are experiencing trauma of violence, family issues and poverty. To top it all off, a lot of them are dealing with losing their primary care takers to COVID-19. I have never experienced having so many students lose their parents in all the years that I have worked for [Chicago Public Schools].”
Yet, despite the numerous challenges within Black and Brown communities surrounding mental health, Auguste believes the awareness surrounding mental health is the best it has been yet.
“I believe that the stigma still exists but not as strongly as it used to. More students are acknowledging that their mental health is affecting their daily lives,” she said.
The mental health problems currently persisting in most students’ lives is something that needs to be addressed. When asked about how Chicago Public Schools (CPS) can improve their mental health services, Auguste said, “CPS can improve mental health services by hiring more clinicians. More counselors and social workers are needed in the schools. We can not get students to focus on academics and going to college if they are depressed, anxious or have been put in a position to be caretakers of their younger siblings. We need to let counselors be counselors. So many counselors in CPS are called to do so many other duties, that they can not put in the time to meet with students the way that they should. Once we realize that mental health has to be at the forefront, I believe everything else will fall into place.”
Living in Chicago it becomes clear that there is a known division based on race, class, and which side of the city you live in. That much became clear when former mayor Rahm Emanuel closed half of Chicago’s mental health clinics some years ago. A lot of those clinics were accessible on the South and West sides of the city, but are unfortunately now gone. With current mayor Lori Lightfoot in no rush to undo the damage of that decision, the remaining clinics and resources available usually depends on what neighborhood you live in and what healthcare access you may have, further pushing a divide between those in Black and Brown communities with different circumstances. According to publications like the Chicago Tribune, an estimated 2,800 people are receiving mental health care at the remaining clinics which is down from 5,200 before clinics closed. While there may be organizations partnering with the city to help fill the void such as the Center for Contextual Change located on 815 W. Van Buren St., it is unclear just how effective they are in filling the service void.
Just during the past year of the pandemic itself mental health hotlines across the country have seen a surge due to social isolation, loss, and frustration caused by the virus. To be specific, a 65 percent jump between March and April of 2020. It got so overwhelming that on October 17, 2020 president Donald Trump signed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 into law. The purpose of this act is to create new three digit number (988) to replace the current one for the suicide hotline. Much like 911, the number is meant to give easier access to those who are in need of it during the COVID-19 crisis.
COVID-19 is certainly playing a huge factor in why many people can’t get the medical help they need. According to information from the CDC, “Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use, and elevated suicidal ideation” in conjunction with pandemic. The stress of being a student and seeing multiple family members die to something completely out of their control is not an easy thing for anyone to deal with.
Kimbrough shared some thoughts on how mental health could be managed for students moving forward.
“I feel that schools should implement some mandatory mental health classes so that kids can understand what exactly is mental health and what can compromise it,” he said. “When people don’t have a clear cut idea of something they tend to take it for a joke or fear it, however our kids mental health is no joke. We need to emphasize more mental health counselors so that our kids have someone to talk to. We should also emphasize to the parents that they should take part in their kids mental health because having parents involved.”
Both mental health professionals and students would agree that more attention/teaching from qualified individuals is necessary to try to curb this problem. Jennings shared his opinion on where things stand going forward, “I do not believe there is any one solution, though I believe education is a very key part to destigmatizing mental health in the black and brown communities. Alongside education I believe there needs to be trust built within these communities.”