Mental Minority Health Month
By Steve Walker
Vietnam Veteran and former Justice of
the Peace and Journalist
Did you know that one in five people will experience mental
illness this year? Mental health
conditions do not discriminate based on race, color, gender or identity.
Anyone can
experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their background.
However it is more difficult to get help for minorities which is why the
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 2008, to
hopefully turn it around.
Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental
health condition whether it is their own or a loved one. Those challenges of
mental health conditions are huge. Along with health coverage, and the stigma
of mental illness, mandates us and those around us to be aware. In many
communities, these problems create a cultural stigma, and are increased by less
access to quality care.
An organization called NAMI, National Alliance of
Mental Illness, is
the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to
building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
What started as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen
table in 1979 has blossomed into the nation's leading voice on mental health.
Today, the association of more than 500 local affiliates who work in the
community to raise awareness and provide support and education that was not
previously available to those in need.
Some years ago my wife Linda ran a house on Aganier Street aptly named the Aganier House for
homeless indigents in San Antonio, who suffered from various forms of mental
illness. The vast majority of those affected by mental illness living at the home, were Hispanics, African
Americans and an assortment of other minority groups. I visited Linda at the
home numerous times and engaged in conversations with many of the residents.
I would point out that the NAMI
Affiliates, host education programs for thousands of families, individuals and
educators get the support and information they need. As a retired special
education teacher as well as my wife, I discovered many of those at the home
were intelligent, skilled in many ways despite their mental illness. The
education programs are also available in Spanish, Bases y Fundamentos de NAMI.
Yet another group of those who show signs of
undiagnosed mental illness that many don’t think about are residents of the
Bexar County Detention Center who have had a run in with the law and now
incarcerated for assaults and worse.
Having spent nine months teaching G.E.D. in the
Bexar County Detention facility, I can assure you there are many inmates who
have a severe case of mental instability, many of whom are dangerous and harm
to themselves and others. It is estimated that over 40 percent of the inmates
are considered mentally challenged. When you look at the overwhelming
statistics of people incarcerated in prison, mental health clinics, and in the
community, it is a problem that needs to be addressed. Then there is PTSD, war
and on and on.
As always, what I
write is “Just a Thought.”
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