By: Victoria Chau, Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity and Roslyn Holliday-Moore, Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing population in the United States, representing numerous cultures, histories, languages and socio-demographic characteristics. While recognizably diverse, Asian and Pacific Islanders are not so different when it comes to their attitudes about mental health. Stigma associated with mental health problems is common in Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Shaming related to mental health problems is a cultural norm in some Asian communities, leading many who have mental health problems to avoid seeking help despite the need. 

By: Anita Everett, M.D., DFAPA, Director, SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services
Our population is aging. Approximately 75 million Americans will be over age 65 by 2030.  Additionally, a 2012 study from the Institute on Medicine found that approximately one in five older adults in the U.S. experience a mental illness, substance use disorder, or both.  That ratio, should it still exist in 2030, equates to approximately 15 million people.
 

By: Elinore F. McCance-Katz, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use

This week marks the first full week of Mental Health Awareness Month.  I am pleased to share that we have started this week with SAMHSA’s 14th Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. The focus of this event was on suicide prevention in our youth.  We chose to focus on this issue because of the disturbing and unacceptable rate of suicide in young Americans. Suicide is one of the ten leading causes of death in the United States and the numbers who die by suicide have only increased in recent years. The rate of youth suicide increased by 49% from 9.7 per 100,000 in 2007 to 14.5 per 100,000 in 2017. 

By: Elinore F. McCance-Katz, MD, PhD, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use

I write this today not to provide a listing of programs that my agency has funded nor an update on how we are doing in addressing the opioid crisis. I write this as a physician seeking the help of my fellow physicians and healthcare colleagues around the country.

By: Anita Everett, M.D., DFAPA, Director, SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services

Bipolar Disorder is a condition that includes episodes of disabling depression and periods of uncontrollable energy.  It is common for all of us to have some changes in mood; Bipolar Disorder however is a brain disorder that includes extreme depression and periods of mania. Symptoms of the disease can vary, but it is important to know that this disorder can be treated with mood stabilizing medication as a foundation. Psychotherapy is often an important component of full recovery and ability to manage the illness over time.  

By: Roslyn Holliday-Moore, Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity and Victoria Chau, Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity

By Luis Vasquez, LICSW, Acting Director, SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

During Alcohol Awareness Month each April, the nation takes note of the progress in reducing rates of underage drinking and celebrate the efforts of communities across the country who are working together to prevent underage alcohol use.

By: Jon Berg, M.Ed., Senior Public Health Advisor, SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

By: HIV.gov 
Cross-posted from HIV.gov Blog

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) through its Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) to support substance use treatment service delivery to racial/ethnic minority individuals at risk for or living with HIV. The grant opportunity is supported by Minority AIDS Initiative resources that are appropriated to SAMHSA.