by Erin McCloskey, MSc Global Mental Health alumna, mccloskeyeerin@gmail.com
The American Dream is our national ethos and has inspired people from all over the world to establish themselves in the United States. Rooted in the set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, the American Dream has no room for illnesses, especially one that goes underdiagnosed and overlooked as depression. Environmental factors can contribute to one’s risks for developing depression. Today, people across the country are not only struggling to make ends meet, but certain populations (particularly black and LGBT communities) are fighting for their safety.
According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7.6% of Americans aged 12 and above had moderate or severe depression from 2009-2012[1]. People living below the poverty line are nearly two and a half times more likely to have depression than those living at or above the poverty level. In the same report by Pratt & Brody (2014), non-Hispanic black people had a higher rate of severe depressive symptoms compared to non-Hispanic white persons. Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic black populations had higher rates of mild to moderate depressive symptoms than non-Hispanic white populations. With the state of the healthcare system in the United States, one can infer that these populations are not supported to easily access mental health services as it is not only a strain on their income, but also their time and their families’ time.
The LGBT community has a higher rate of depression compared to the heterosexual population. Stresses experienced by LGBT youth such as negative attitudes and stigma[2] put them at a greater risk to experience mental health issues than heterosexual youths[3]. It is not uncommon to read about crimes against transgender people in the news, which shows how far the US needs to go to ensure freedom for all. For so long, research to support this community has been ignored, but recently it is in the developing stages and will hopefully contribute to ways in which detection and treatment can be effective for the LGBT community.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I have come to know intimately how depression can affect a family. The subculture is influenced by the Scandinavian Americans that settled there in the 1800’s. My origins are from Finnish settlers; people who worked hard as farmers to settle and to create their own version of the American Dream. Stoicism and vodka were their preferred coping mechanisms. Over the course of a couple generations, what is now known as alcoholism also took roots in our family tree. It has come in a variety of forms, ranging from moderate depression to perinatal and postnatal depression and to bipolar disorder in conjunction with addiction. Many of these conditions went underdiagnosed for years.
Depression does not discriminate. However, healthcare in the US does discriminate who can receive the services they need. The American Dream will remain a cornerstone of our culture, and with it the pursuit of happiness will continue. Hopefully, as mental health with the concentration on common mental disorders gains more coverage, so will access to services to all communities.
911 is the national emergency number in the United States.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/) is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. It provides Spanish-speaking counselors, as well as options for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. It is only available in the United States. A 24-hour Online Chat in partnership with Contact USA is also available.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (ESP) can be reached at 1-888-628-9454
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Deaf & Hard of Hearing Options) can be reached at 1-800-799-4889
The Veterans Crisis Line (https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/) is a 24-hour, toll-free hotline that provides phone, webchat, and text options available to military veterans and their families. It provides options for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. The Veterans Crisis Line can be reached at 1-800-273-8255, Press 1.
IMAlive Crisis Chatine (www.imalive.org) is a non-profit, worldwide 24/7, anonymous chatline to help anyone in crisis via instant messaging.
The Crisis Text Line (crisistextline.org) is the only 24/7, nationwide crisis-intervention text-message hotline.
The Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting HOME to 741-741.
Samaritans USA (http://www.samaritansusa.org/) is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in distress or at risk of suicide throughout the United States.
The Trevor Project (http://www.thetrevorproject.org/) is a nationwide organization that provides a 24-hour phone hotline, as well as limited-hour webchat and text options, for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. The TrevorLifeline can be reached at 1-866-488-7386. TrevorChat can be found at https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help-now/ (available 7 days a week from 3PM to 10PM ET). TrevorText can be reached by texting TREVOR to 1-202-304-1200 (available M-F from 3PM to 10PM ET).
The Trans Lifeline (https://www.translifeline.org/) is a nonprofit organization that is created by and for the transgender community, providing crisis intervention hotlines, staffed by transgender individuals, available in the United States and Canada. The Trans Lifeline can be reached at 1-877-330-6366.
References
[1] Pratt, L., Brody,D. (2014). Depression in the U.S. household population, 2009-2012. NCHS Data Brief Extracted from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db172.pdf
[2] http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/gay#statistics2
[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Sexual Identity, sex of sexual contacts and health-risk behaviors among students in grades 9-12- youth risk behavior surveillance, selected sites, United States, 2001-2009. Extracted from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss60e0606.pdf
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