{"id":6098,"date":"2022-09-07T19:17:52","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T19:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=6098"},"modified":"2022-09-07T19:17:52","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T19:17:52","slug":"does-anyone-really-care-about-african-american-boys-and-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/07\/does-anyone-really-care-about-african-american-boys-and-men\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Anyone Really Care About African-American Boys and Men?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Dr. Salvatore J. Giorgianni, Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Salvatore J. Giorgianni, Jr. PharmD. Senior Science Advisor,<\/strong><\/em>
\nMen\u2019s Health Network<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Special to The Truth<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Over two and a half years ago, in the article \u201cAfrican-American
\nBoys and Men in America Are Killing Themselves and No One Seems to
\nCare,\u201d I wrote about the national disgrace that is the heavier toll
\nof suicide facing African-American boys and men.<\/p>\n

I said that in minority communities, people often misunderstand what a mental health condition is, and therefore, discussing the subject is uncommon. A
\nlack of understanding leads many to believe that a mental health
\ncondition is a personal weakness or a form of punishment.
\nAfrican Americans are also more likely to be exposed to factors that
\nincrease the risk for developing a mental health condition, such as
\ndiscrimination, social isolation, homelessness, and exposure to
\nviolence.<\/p>\n

What has changed – for better and for worse – since then? Do
\nAfrican-American men and boys continue to have a higher death rate
\nfrom suicide and violence than others? Is the male suicide rate in
\nthe United States still far higher than women? Is suicide still a
\nleading cause of death for minority males? Are African-Americans
\nstill more likely to experience serious mental health problems than
\nthe general population? Sadly, the answer to all of these questions
\nremains yes.<\/p>\n

What has gotten worse? As I’ve said previously, African-American
\nyouth who are exposed to violence have a 25 percent higher risk of
\ndeveloping PTSD than non-Black youth. Violent crime rates in US
\ncities have only increased since 2019.2 This is especially true
\namongst young African-American men. These two facts seem inextricably
\ntied together: violence leads to PTSD; PTSD leads to violence, over
\nand over again.<\/p>\n

Minority access to mental health-related diagnoses and care is
\nimpeded by barriers and challenges that are also experienced by
\nminorities who need addiction and recovery support and resources.
\nThere also seems a strong correlation between mental health issues
\nand overdose rates. A recent JAMA study suggests that during the
\nCOVID epidemic, specifically from January 2019 through mid-2020,
\nopioid overdoses decreased 24 percent among whites in Philadelphia.
\nConversely, opioid overdoses actually increased amongst Black
\nPhiladelphians by over 50 percent.<\/p>\n

According to the U. S. Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, only one third of Black adults diagnosed with mental illness receive treatment. According to the American Psychiatric Association\u2019s \u201cMental Health Facts for African-Americans\u201d guide, Black adults are less likely to be
\nincluded in research and receive quality care, while being more
\nlikely to use an emergency room as primary care.<\/p>\n

I recently spoke with Dr. Jean Bonhomme, founder of the National
\nBlack Men’s Health Network, who relayed to me some other startling
\nrecent statistics. In 2020, African Americans made up about 13.5 percent of
\nthe U.S. population, while they also made up over 55 percent of homicide
\nvictims, with a more than a 65 percent increase in homicides relative to
\n2019. Other stark figures that Dr. Bonhomme shared were from a recent
\nCDC study.<\/p>\n

In the same period–2019 through 2020–drug overdose death rates for
\nnon-Hispanic Black persons increased by 44 percent, while for non-Hispanic
\nAmerican Indian or Alaska Native (AI\/AN) persons the drug overdose
\ndeath rates increased by 39 percent.<\/p>\n

Other numbers that jump out include the 2020 death rate from overdose among Black males aged \u2265 65 years (52.6 per 100,000) as being nearly seven times that of non-Hispanic white males of a similar age. Meanwhile, treatment for substance use was at the lowest for Black persons (at 8.3 percent).<\/p>\n

One factor in the mental health crisis disproportionally facing the Black community is shown in data from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. This data indicates that the number of people
\nadmitted to psychiatric hospitals (and other residential facilities)
\nin the US declined from 471,000 in 1970 to 170,000 in 2014.7<\/p>\n

This reduction in the availability of a potential intervention opportunity
\nappears to have led to growth in incarceration and similar
\nnon-therapeutic interventions, which, in the absence of these other
\noptions, take the place of actual psychiatric help. We must also
\nconsider that the life circumstances of young black men must also be
\nthe driver of many of these differences and disparities. Out of
\ndecency alone, the US needs to find a way to identify and target
\nsystemic changes to benefit these populations, which have the most
\nurgent need.<\/p>\n

Data like this can seem overwhelming, but this only highlights how
\ndisparities tend to cascade through any system, like an engine with
\none worn part eventually damaging another. The United States has
\ndeferred system-wide maintenance in the places that have needed them
\nmost for far too long: the health and mental health care systems. The
\noutcome is predictable, yet we remain shocked when the situation
\nworsens.<\/p>\n

Are there any positives the can impact minority mental health?
\nAbsolutely! The new nation-wide 988 crisis number launch went live
\nJuly 16th of this year, and text-based services will be included.
\nStudies suggest that over 75 percent of those using text on existing crisis
\nservices are under 25.8 Minority populations in the USA have a higher
\npercentage of people in younger age groups than whites. Therefore,
\nbetter serving an underserved community is an outcome that is a clear
\nimprovement on the current situation.<\/p>\n

Post-pandemic societal trauma, proper focusing on framing gender
\nequity, gender identification, and gender expression are all areas of
\nspecial concern within minority communities. For example, a Black
\nteen in a city school district might not find the same resources and
\nsupport as a white teen in the suburbs. This can trigger high mental
\nstress that may follow them into and throughout adulthood. Issues
\nlike these, and the struggle to keep issues relevant to mainstream
\nmedia, are just the tip of the iceberg of challenges facing any
\neffort to improve the existing situation surrounding minority
\nmen\u2019s\u2019 mental health.<\/p>\n

What can be done? The ACA (Affordable Care Act, also known as
\nObamacare), as passed by Congress, does not provide for Well-Man
\nvisits. I continue to urge insurance companies and other payers to
\ninclude adequately-reimbursed Well-Man medical visits similar to the
\nyearly Well-Woman Visits available under the ACA.<\/p>\n

Men\u2019s Health Network redoubles its recommendation that those
\ncharged with the health and social welfare of boys and men consider
\nthe following:
\n1. Acknowledge the heterogeneity of boys and men and the unique needs
\nof diverse populations
\n2. Develop culturally appropriate male-focused screening tools
\n3. Develop guidelines that recognize the need to regularly and
\nroutinely screen boys and men for both physical and mental health
\nissues
\n4. Address the poor reimbursement for behavioral health clinical
\nservices
\n5. Establish culturally and gender-appropriate programs to identify,
\ninterrupt, triage, and manage mental health issues in
\nAfrican-American boys and men, providing education and training for
\nthose in the community who interact with boys and men.<\/p>\n

With this said, Men\u2019s Health Network, Healthy Men, Inc., the
\nNational Black Men\u2019s Health Network, and the Men\u2019s Health Caucus,
\nhave launched a public awareness campaign, “You OK, Bro?”
\nhttps:\/\/cts.vresp.com\/c\/?MensHealthNetwork\/ff5ca8b8c0\/bab110333e\/17c13d87b5<\/a>\u00a0and will be hosting a workshop summit on Thursday, October 13th, 2022
\nat the National Press Club in Washington, DC to build awareness of
\nthe mental health crisis now erupting in the male population of the
\nUS. This important event will be live-streamed. The goal of the
\nsummit is to examine and return recommendations to help reverse the
\nrecent increase in mental health crises. Behavioral experts from
\nmultiple organizations will share research, trends and discoveries,
\nand supply information to men, boys, and their loved ones to help
\nthem identify the signs of mental distress, and recommend ways to
\nimprove mental and emotional fitness.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou OK, Bro?\u201d is the beginning of a dialog that can start with
\nthose words, whether between just two men, or at a national scale. We
\nhope \u201cYou OK, Bro?\u201d can change the way the US sees and talks
\nabout men\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n

MEN\u2019S HEALTH NETWORK
\nMen’s Health Network (MHN) is a national non-profit organization
\nwhose mission is to reach men, boys, and their families where they
\nlive, work, play, and pray with health awareness and disease
\nprevention messages and tools, screening programs, educational
\nmaterials, advocacy opportunities, and patient navigation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Salvatore Giorgianni is an expert in men\u2019s health, is Senior Science Advisor to Men\u2019s Health Network, and is a registered pharmacist. He is a recognized expert in drug regulatory and US pharmaceutical policy as well as in organizational reputation management and strategic alliance development. He has authored, co-authored or presented some 200 works in health care, industry regulation and business. He is an advisor and board member to several health advocacy associations including: Men\u2019s Health Network; American Osteopathic Medical Foundation; Kappa Psi Scholarship Foundation; Nurse Practitioner Health Care Foundation and the National Association for Continence.<\/em><\/p>\n

He is a founding member of the Dialogue on Men\u2019s Health, a presenter at the White House conference on Men\u2019s Health, and a contributor to the SAGE publication, American Journal of Men\u2019s Health. Dr. Giorgianni had a 26 year career with Pfizer Inc, where he held positions in the medical, regulatory, training, public policy, business planning, sales and marketing groups. Most recently he served as Pfizer\u2019s Director, External Relations. He also directed several publications, including the Pfizer Careers In Health Care series and The Pfizer Journal: Perspectives in Health Care and Biomedical Research.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Salvatore J. Giorgianni, Jr. PharmD. Senior Science Advisor, Men\u2019s Health Network Special to The Truth Over two and a half years ago, in the article \u201cAfrican-American Boys and Men in America Are Killing Themselves and No One Seems to Care,\u201d I wrote about the national disgrace that is the heavier toll of suicide facing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[138],"class_list":["post-6098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6098"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6100,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6098\/revisions\/6100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6098"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=6098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}