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If you need a break from elections coverage, may I recommend reading about another important issue: Oregon's mental health care system has been ranked one of the worst in the nation for years. @notdonald and I have been looking into how that affects Oregonians of color.
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Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of Americans reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression has more than tripled, according to census data. Among Black and Latino adults, those numbers were even higher.
In Oregon, fewer than 1 in 5 clinicians in the state are people of color. And less than 1% of the state’s mental health care providers are Black. That means if BIPOC Oregonians are looking for a therapist who shares their cultural background, it's really hard to find someone.
We spoke to Jasmine Cottrell, who spent 8 months looking for a therapist who was a Black woman. It was very important to Cottrell that her therapist was Black like her, so she wouldn't have to educate her therapist about race. https://www.opb.org/article/2020/11/04/black-oregonians-struggle-to-find-mental-health-care-amid-increasing-need/
“There are a lot of times where, especially ... the way that the world is right now, that I don’t want to have to explain why this is all really kind of crappy,” Cottrell said. “I’m Black in America and that’s exhausting some days. It’s lit, but it’s also exhausting.”
Mental health practitioners we spoke to said it's incredibly important to have a therapist who understands how race impacts their clients' lives, so that therapy doesn't turn into an education session for white therapists.
But a big problem in Oregon is that there just are not enough mental health care practitioners of color to meet the need for culturally competent therapy (more on *why* that is in a later story!)
That means many of the therapists/psychologists of color we spoke to have to turn away people because their schedules are just too full. And that's why Black Oregonians like Cottrell can end up on 8 month waiting lists just to find a therapist who can provide the care they need.
Read and listen to the whole story here: https://www.opb.org/article/2020/11/04/black-oregonians-struggle-to-find-mental-health-care-amid-increasing-need/
For the second part of this series, we looked at how living in majority-white places like Oregon -- and the microaggressions that come with that -- affect mental health. https://www.opb.org/article/2020/11/05/microaggressions-mental-health-oregonians-of-color/
Microaggressions are linked to increased depression, anxiety and chronic physical ailments like high blood pressure. Portland therapist Andrea Redeau says that when you experience microaggressions over and over again, you start to internalize them.
“That is trauma,” Redeau said. “It lives in your body, through your heightened senses, through your hypervigilance, through your fear. And if you are living in a fear response for 16 hours of the day, that’s going to impact … how you navigate the world.”
But when Redeau’s clients describe microaggressions, they often wonder if they misread the situation, or if they did something wrong.
That’s because white people tend to get defensive when talking about racism, and people often act like race isn't a factor in our interactions!
That’s because white people tend to get defensive when talking about racism, and people often act like race isn't a factor in our interactions!
But, Redeau says that the first part of coping with the trauma caused by racism is to recognize it, and know it's NOT your fault!
“When you experience racism, it is racism. It’s not because of another reason,” Redeau said. “You get to determine what is racist and what is not.”
“When you experience racism, it is racism. It’s not because of another reason,” Redeau said. “You get to determine what is racist and what is not.”
You can listen/read more here: https://www.opb.org/article/2020/11/05/microaggressions-mental-health-oregonians-of-color/
We'll have more stories in the coming days! I'll link to them here when they are up. In the meantime, take care of your mental health, everyone
I also have to say -- there is no way @notdonald and I could have done this series without the support, feedback and encouragement from our wonderful colleagues. Huge thanks to @CrystalLigori, @stevenvkray, @portable_chavez, @cemeza & @sagevanwing 
