Into The Fold: Issues In Mental Health

As we enter 2021, most of us are beyond exhausted. In many ways, these awful circumstances of the last year serve as a reminder of just what a moral pivot point the Black American experience has been and continues to be. To put it simply, everything that is going on isn’t just about the Black American experience, but, in many ways, it is not fully comprehensible without the Black American experience. We are joined on this episode by Dr. Chase Anderson, fellow in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, to discuss the limits of how helpful our professional identities can be while experiencing racial grief at this time. Related links: Episode 65: The Past Does Matter: Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-the-past-does-matter

Nearly one million Texans do not have physical access to broadband at home. Over eighty-nine percent of these disconnected Texans live in rural areas. Broadly, this is a matter of equity and economic participation, both of which bear on overall well-being in our state. This is especially true during this pandemic, where remote work, school, and health have become the norm. Jennifer Harris serves as the state program director for Connected Nation Texas. She also serves on the Governors Broadband Development Council. Wynn Rosser is CEO of the Temple Foundation, which is dedicated to increasing prosperity and well-being for rural deep East Texas. Both join us on this episode to discuss rural broadband and its pivotal role in the future well-being of Texas. Related links: Into the Fold Episode 64: Understanding Rural Communities https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-mental-health-rural-communities Hogg Foundation Awards $4.5 Million to Address Well-being in Rural Texas Communities https://hogg.utexas.edu/texas-rural

There is currently a strong push in Texas toward diverting people with mental health conditions away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. This is the good news. The bad news is that the demand for flexible, evidence-based, person-centered mental health treatment far outpaces the supply. The state's forensic system is a case in point. In this episode Limestone County Sheriff Dennis Wilson and Kevin Garrett of Texas Jail Project share their complementary perspectives on the issue--one a lawman, the other a person with lived experience of the system. Related links: Hogg Policy Fellows https://hogg.utexas.edu/what-we-do/policy-engagement/policy-fellows-academy Episode 28: Jail and Mental Health https://hogg.utexas.edu/episode-28-jail-and-mental-health Episode 23: Talking about Forensic Mental Health https://soundcloud.com/hoggfoundation/into-the-fold-episode-23-talking-about-forensic-mental-health

To say that the media has a public trust problem, earned or not, is an understatement. How should we evaluate the media’s coverage of the pandemic, and how can we all become more savvy media consumers? Joining us to help make sense of these questions is Dr. Timothy Caulfield, Professor of Law at University of Alberta, Canada, Research Director of the Health Law Institute and current Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy. He is the author of the national bestseller The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness (Penguin 2012) and Relax, Dammit!: A User's Guide to the Age of Anxiety (Penguin Random House, 2020). Related links: Episode 40: Mental Health and Media: Stop Raising Awareness Already https://hogg.utexas.edu/mental-health-and-media

Schools have become a flashpoint in the larger debate about how we balance living our lives and keeping ourselves safe during the time of COVID-19. Schools serve as crucial bridge between families, young people, and essential services and community resources. They are also increasingly sites of mental health care. In this episode of Into the Fold we hear from Tasha Moore, Chief Strategy Officer of Communities in Schools of North Texas, which specializes in dropout prevention, and Suki Steinhauser, CEO of Communities in Schools of Central Texas, who share some wisdom about keeping kids in school at a time when ‘school’ no longer means what it used to. f0jbDLFny7qpjH6RIWox Related links: Episode 22: Restorative Discipline in Schools https://hogg.utexas.edu/into-the-fold-episode-22-restorative-discipline-in-schools Episode 42: Mental Health in Schools https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-mental-health-schools Improving Academic Achievement through Mental Health https://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/academic-achi

Substance misuse has long been a pain point on college campuses, and the University of Texas at Austin is no different. This week we talked with an organization that is pushing back against the engrained belief that substance misuse is a “rite of passage” for college students, and instead is offering a holistic model for shifting the conversation around substance use on campus. Kate Lower, Director of SHIFT, joins us to discuss the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on patterns of substance use among college students during this time of increased environmental changes and isolation. Related links: 3 Things to Know: Recovery https://hogg.utexas.edu/3-things-to-know-recovery In Their Words: On Recovery https://hogg.utexas.edu/in-their-words-on-recovery Episode 51: The Social Entrepreneurship Model https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-recovery-social-entrepreneurship

This week we are joined by Dr. Eric Tang, Associate Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies and Director of the Center for Asian American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. We discuss COVID-19 and Asian Americans, especially now that the pandemic has brought to the forefront many of our nation’s deep xenophobic biases that harm Asian people of color in the United States, including here on the University of Texas at Austin campus. Related links: Episode 100: Black Lives Matter https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-black-lives-matter Episode 13: Deportation Threat and the Children of the Undocumented https://soundcloud.com/hoggfoundation/into-the-fold-episode-13 Episode 45: Deportation Anxiety for Today’s Young Adults http://hogg.utexas.edu/deportation-anxiety-young-adults-podcast Episode 85: Refugee Resilience and Well-being: A Voice from the Field https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-refugee-resilience-and-well-being Episode 57: Supporting Our Dreamers https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-suppo

In this milestone 100th episode of Into the Fold, we dive into the topic of racism and historical trauma with a panel of experts. We are joined by three former podcast guests: Dr. Christen Smith, an associate professor of African and Diaspora Studies and Anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin; Dr. Ryan Sutton, director of the Heman Sweatt Center for Black Males at The University of Texas at Austin; and Latasha Taylor, a mental health organizer and former Hogg Foundation Policy Fellow. Together, we discuss the impact of police brutality on African American mental health and ways non-Black allies can best support their friends and the Black Lives Matter movement. Deborah "D.E.E.P." Mouton poetry: https://www.livelifedeep.com/ Oddisee: https://www.mellomusicgroup.com/collections/oddisee-collection Related links: Episode 65: The Past Does Matter: Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-the-past-does-matter Episode 56: Police Violence and Black Women’s Health https://hogg.utex

With COVID-19 putting unprecedented stress on our already overburdened systems of support for older people, the need to provide for the mental and physical health of this population has reached a critical level. On this episode of the podcast, we are joined for the second time by licensed clinical social worker Carly Bassett, who specializes in mental health care for older adults. Related links: Understanding Mental Health in Older Adults https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-elderly-mental-heath How Transportation Affects the Mental Health of Nursing Home Residents https://hogg.utexas.edu/vivian-miller-nursing-home-health The Health Cost of Aging in America https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-health-cost-of-aging-in-america

May is Children’s Mental Health Month. Today we are talking about COVID-19 and its effect on children, youth, and families. In the state of Texas, schools have been shut down since mid-March. Millions of children and adolescents have been sheltering at home. Just as much as kids have never needed more attention, parents have never needed more of a break. On top of that, we have good reason to believe that home is necessarily the safest place for kids. To help make sense of it all, we are joined by a pair of Austin-based experts who come at this from the perspectives of both healthcare professionals and parents. Dr. Allison Hall is a pediatric physical therapist and the CEO/founder of My Kid Blooms, a digital resource for parents to find pediatric and OB/GYN health-related information and professionals that match the needs of their families. Dr. Nakia Scott is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the owner of Holistic Mental Health. Related links: COVID-19: Protecting Kids from the Fear Pandemic ht

It is fashionable to say that coronavirus doesn't discriminate, but this may be misleading. In fact, there is compelling data suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting some communities harder than others. A new study conducted by epidemiologists and clinician-researchers from six organizations and universities across the country found that counties with high rates of African American residents comprised 52 percent of all diagnoses and 58 percent of all COVID-19 deaths nationally. According to an analysis by American Public Media Research, blacks, despite making up about 13% of the US population according to the Census Bureau, are 27% of known COVID-19 deaths. In state after state, there is evidence that this pandemic is having a disproportionate effect on people of color, on the economically precarious, and on already stigmatized populations such as the homeless. These findings may just be the tip of the iceberg. In this episode, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, representing Texas's 20th co

COVID-19 is the world’s biggest story. It is seriously trying people’s emotional, financial, and even spiritual ability to cope. In this episode of Into the Fold, we are joined by Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, who has been front and center in coordinating the official response to the pandemic for Travis County, and Carrie Barron, M.D., Director of Creativity for Resilience Program at Dell Medical School, to discuss the reality of the pandemic and strategies for coping with, and hopefully, finding some peace within, this time of uncertainty. Related links: Resources for Mental Health and COVID-19 https://hogg.utexas.edu/news-resources/mental-health-and-covid-19 Census 2020 in the Time of Coronavirus https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-census-2020-in-the-time-of-coronavirus The coronavirus crisis exposes our society’s weaknesses. It’s time to correct them. https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-coronavirus-crisis-exposes-our-societys-weaknesses COVID-19: Protecting Kids from the Fear Pandemic https://hogg.utexas.ed

This year’s census is extraordinarily for one main reason. It is taking place under the shadow of a public health emergency: coronavirus, which is currently consuming people’s attention here in the U.S. and worldwide. Our two guests, Katie Martin Lightfoot and Ava Graves, join us to discuss Census 2020 in general and in the impact of coronavirus in particular. Related links: Texas Communities Count https://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/texas-communities-count

In honor of Women’s History Month, this episode of Into the Fold features the voices of three extraordinary women in the Hogg Foundation’s history. First, we hear from Bert Kruger Smith, the longtime host of the Human Condition radio series, and her interview guest, Efua Sutherland, the Ghanaian playwright, director, researcher and children’s rights advocate. We also hear from former employee of the Hogg Foundation, Linda Swan-Adkins, whose eye-witness account of the tragic 1966 UT tower shooting is an important piece of Texas history. Related links: Episode 77: Consumer Voice: Its Role in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-consumer-voice Episode 33: Nightmare at Noon - The UT Tower Shooting https://hogg.utexas.edu/nightmare-at-noon-the-ut-tower-shooting

This episode of Into the Fold takes place against the backdrop of the 20th anniversary of the annual Central Texas African American Family Support Conference (CTAAFSC), where we talked with two of the event’s keynote speakers Dr. King Davis, and Dr. Altha J. Stewart, about historic issues of race in psychiatry and the importance of defining health equity as a matter of social justice. Related links: Episode 11: The Central Lunatic Asylum for Colored Insane https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-patricia-galloway-on-historic-digital-archive-of-psychiatric-hospital-records-from-segregated-era Episode 26: King Davis on the Segregated Past, the Fractured Present https://hogg.utexas.edu/into-the-fold-episode-26-king-davis-on-the-segregated-past-the-fractured-present Hogg Foundation Launches Healthy Minds Grants for African American Mental Health, Well-being https://hogg.utexas.edu/hogg-foundation-launches-healthy-minds-grants-for-african-american-mental-health-well-being

February is Youth Leadership Month. In this episode of Into the Fold, we talk with three young people who are change-makers in their communities. Through two of the Hogg Foundation’s latest initiatives, these youths have been empowered to embrace new leadership opportunities to help improve their neighborhoods and communities. Our three guests, Kam’rin Christal, Cristina Figueroa, and Ricky Longoria, share their experiences with us and offer wisdom on how to further cultivate youth leadership across communities. Related links: Episode 88: Young Minds Matter https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-young-minds-matter Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar 2019: Working Together for Rural Well-being https://hogg.utexas.edu/events-networks/rls-seminar Communities of Care https://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/communities-of-care-houston Collaborative Approaches to Well-being in Rural Communities https://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/collaborative-approaches-well-being-rural-communities

In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th, this episode of Into the Fold features an interview from a late 1970s episode of the Human Condition, a radio series produced by the Hogg Foundation between 1972 and 1983. Longtime host of the Human Condition, Bert Kruger Smith, speaks with eminent Holocaust scholar Raul Hilberg, who died in 2007, about the conditions that led to the Holocaust and what happened in the minds of the people committing atrocities in the name of the Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.

Across medicine, psychiatry, and neurology, it was long believed that the immune system held sway over every system in the body - except for the brain. In this episode of Into the Fold, we discuss the newly understood role of microglial cells, which are brain cells that, according to groundbreaking scientific research, prove the interconnectedness of our bodies’ and our minds’ regulatory systems, disrupting centuries-old assumptions about mental, cognitive, and physical health issues. Award-winning journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa returns to the podcast to discuss the implications of this discovery and her new book, The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell that Changed the Course of Medicine. Related links: Episode 17, Childhood Disrupted https://soundcloud.com/hoggfoundation/episode-17-childhood-disrupted Episode 32: Early Intervention in Psychosis https://hogg.utexas.edu/early-intervention-in-psychosis Episode 74: First Episode Psychosis: A Path for Better Outcomes https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcas

For many indigenous Americans, Thanksgiving is not just problematic -- it commemorates genocide, dispossession, forced removal, and cultural erasure. This emotional gauntlet has mental health implications that we will be discussing in this episode. For this discussion, we are joined by Angela Vela-Arce, master's student at the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work and director of the Native American and Indigenous Collective, which is part of the Multicultural Engagement Center at UT Austin. Angela brings a perspective on indigenous mental health that speaks to the experiences of young people and indigenous students on campus. Related links: Episode 67: Supporting DACA Students https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-supporting-daca-students Episode 65: The Past Does Matter: Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-the-past-does-matter Episode 88: Young Minds Matter https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-young-minds-matter

This episode takes place against the backdrop of Young Minds Matter 2019, a one-day conference held by the Hogg Foundation in Houston, Texas on Oct. 23, 2019. The theme for the event was “Community Connections for Well-being.” We unpack what that phrase means with the help of three powerful, unique voices from the event: Marlon Lizama, a Houston spoken word artist and co-founder of the Iconoclast Artists program that empowers youth through the arts; Dr. Howard Pinderhughes, chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Science at University of California San Francisco; and Dr. Nia West-Bey, a senior policy analyst with the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). Weaving together strands that include themes of historical and cultural trauma, personal narrative, poetry and social science, these conversations converge on the central question: What does it truly mean to care about young minds? Related links: Young Minds Matter 2019 https://hogg.utexas.edu/events-networks/young-minds-matter Young Minds Ma