Now is the time to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country. It is an opportunity to raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities and increase support for caregivers.

The burden of care is often placed on adult children or other family members, many of whom have full-time jobs and kids of their own. According to an Alliance for Caregiving and AARP Public Policy Institute survey, 40% of caregivers feel emotionally stressed, almost 20% say it caused financial problems, and about 20% feel physically strained. Unpaid-caregiver burnout among these “sandwich generation” individuals often impacts their performance and engagement at work.

Family caregivers comfort their elderly and/or ill companions, coordinate their care, help them bathe, clean their houses and shop for them. While many find the experience rewarding, it can also be frustrating and take a toll on their emotional and physical wellbeing. Over half of caregivers report elevated levels of depression and anxiety, worsened physical health and higher use of psychoactive medications.

These tips are a good reminder for caregivers and those who are close to caregivers:

• Seek support Ask family members for help and include them in caregiving decisions. See if your employer offers a program like Magellan’s Senior Caregiver Assistance, powered by DUOS, that combines human contact with technology that can give caregivers much-needed support and enable seniors to live full lives.
• Share the tasks When family or friends offer to lend a hand, be ready with specific ideas. Make a weekly list and share that list with others to help with shopping, housecleaning, etc.
• Take care of yourself Be sure to schedule and go to your medical checkups. Eat a healthy diet, exercise and get enough sleep.
• Make time for activities you enjoy Don’t neglect the things in your life that need attention. Read, listen to music, paint, play a game, etc.
• Plan for respite care Respite services provide someone who can stay with your family member while you get away for a few hours or days. Time off can help you manage your stress and be a better caretaker.

Visit our Behavioral Health Resources web page for free resources and expert advice to help our communities, client, members and providers.

Sources: CDC, Healthwise

Nikki Walker is the director of Federal Program Management with a focus on business innovation for the Magellan Federal Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) program. Walker, who has been with Magellan since 2012, oversees innovation projects and pilot initiatives that are either directed by our government customer or in collaboration with Magellan Health. Currently, Walker is working on the NeuroFlow pilot and the Arammu Relationship Checkup, a web-based counseling tool that allows military couples to check the status of their relationship health. They also learn how to manage strengths and challenges in their relationship with help from MFLC counselors. Continue reading to learn more about other innovative projects and pilot initiatives Walker is working on at Magellan Federal.

What sort of innovation projects are you currently working on at Magellan Federal?

I’m currently working on two exciting pilots that are moving the MFLC program forward into a digital dimension. The NeuroFlow wellbeing application is part of Magellan Healthcare’s eMbrace employee assistance program. Magellan Federal has also collaborated with NeuroFlow on a pilot program tailored specifically for the military population that incorporates additional safety features. Our relationship with the NeuroFlow team has allowed for a successful rollout at three military installations.  This is truly innovative work within the Magellan Federal business, and we’re excited to be able to offer this type of resource to our military members.

Another pilot we’re working on is the Arammu Relationship Checkup. It’s a digital-based questionnaire that allows military couples to rate their relationship health. Couples can go online and confidentially complete the questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire are immediately presented to the couples and provides concrete techniques to help them enhance their relationship wellbeing. The Relationship Checkup has had a positive impact on how we conduct non-medical counseling. Our MFLC counselors can use the Relationship Checkup in their non-medical counseling sessions to talk with couples about their strengths and any challenges they may work on to build their relationship. The pilot has been successful, and military couples have been very receptive of the checkup.

Why is Magellan Federal the best place to do these projects?

I believe Magellan Federal emphasizes collaboration as well as delivery. We deliver what’s expected of us when innovative programs are requested. Also, when we are working on business development, we are very good at identifying its key partners and stakeholders who are critical to successfully execute and deliver the product or the service that is expected. This collaboration is at all levels and within different arenas: government, military, community, greater Magellan Health, and internal Magellan Federal teams. We’re good at collaboration and building relationships, which help us deliver value to the customer.

What are your thoughts on the culture at Magellan Federal?

The Magellan Federal culture thrives on precision and accuracy. Getting things done right is very important. That supports what I’ve said about delivery. Our culture is about getting it right, which speaks to our professionalism, attention to detail, and the quality of the work we deliver. It’s that high level of professionalism that’s really rooted in delivering consistently. This is engrained in our culture. It speaks to the high level of quality work that our partners, the government, and the military want to see and why they continue to come back to us.

What exciting trends in the healthcare industry, related to military healthcare, have you noticed? In what direction do you see healthcare going? What lessons are there to learn in other industries that can be applied to healthcare?

One of the biggest trends is self-directed wellbeing or self-directed care. Many of our military members and families want something at their fingertips that allows them to easily access and navigate their healthcare. It’s mobile first. Cell phones and the web are readily available to service members, so being able to deliver wellbeing and healthcare services by phone or web gives them the opportunity to get the care they need, when and where they need it. This is especially important with our younger service members and spouses.

Lessons from other industries we can learn from include how to diligently explore the best way to operationalize research-based work. Pilot programs are often based on clinical and research studies, which is good because you do want evidence-based work. But we must also have due diligence in properly translating evidence-based work into daily operations. That takes time and skill. We must be able to think through how to manage and mobilize the workforce to be able to deliver the product and the service. Being able to successfully transition from a clinical study to operations is a big task. Having a plan of action on how to mobilize your team and how to operationalize that clinical study is especially important.

Learn more about the various solutions provided by Magellan Federal here.

Influenza (flu) season can be unpredictable. In the United States (US), flu activity typically begins in October and peaks between December and February, but activity can even continue into May. Australia recently finished their winter where they experienced the most severe flu season in five years, and the season started earlier than usual. Although flu forecasting is not perfect, the Southern Hemisphere serves as a barometer for what might happen in the Northern Hemisphere. In the US, flu activity is elevated across the country.

COVID-19, which is still circulating, is generally mild for children. During the pandemic flu was virtually non-existent. This can be partly attributed to mitigation measures such as handwashing, masking, distancing, as well as remote school, work, and limited travel. The flu hiatus also translates into less pre-existing immunity to influenza due to lack of exposure – from natural infection or vaccines – particularly notable in younger children who may have never been exposed to flu. Further, there is currently a surge in pediatric respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases and hospitalizations. Children and the elderly are among the populations at higher risk of influenza complications. With pre-pandemic activities resuming and school back in-person, flu is making a comeback this season.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s FluView (a weekly US influenza surveillance report), influenza-like illness (ILI) activity is elevated across the country. The CDC’s interactive map offers a visual picture of outpatient ILI activity in the US and links out to state-level information. Additional data such as hospitalization and mortality surveillance are also captured on the CDC’s site.

The best protection against the flu is prevention. The CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone ages ≥6 months old with rare exceptions. The ideal time for the flu shot is in September or October, and it can be offered throughout the season, as long as flu viruses are circulating. It takes about two weeks after vaccination to develop protection against the flu. New this year, all available flu vaccines in the US are quadrivalent, meaning they contain two influenza A and two influenza B virus antigens, thus designed to protect against four flu viruses. The dominant strain is currently influenza A (H3N2), which is especially tough on the elderly. Also new this year, is a preferential recommendation from the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for high-dose, adjuvanted, or recombinant vaccine over other flu vaccines for adults ≥65 years old.

To find a flu vaccine provider, visit vaccines.gov. The flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be given at the same time. Prescription flu antiviral medications to treat flu are currently available. Remember, good hygiene and self care are critical in fighting the flu and a number of other viruses, so wash hands, cover your cough, rest, and stay home when sick.
As the flu continues to unfold this winter, prevention, awareness, and health literacy are key to being prepared.

Disclaimer: The content in this blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice. For questions regarding any medical condition or if you need medical advice, please contact your healthcare provider.

Introduction

Given these extraordinary times, “resilience” has become a very popular word used to refer to a capacity that can be developed in people to withstand disruption or recover from adversity more quickly and completely. It is important to ensure teams remain ready and able to adapt to increasing demands. Historically, more pressure is put on leaders, especially those who need their teams to continue to perform at a high level when it matters most.

In our experience, organizations and their leaders truly care about their employees and understand that while some individual skills can be self-developed, leaders themselves need tangible strategies to create conditions for resilience development and thriving. If a leader has the tools first, then it is easier to set a good example and have a foundation for transferring these skills to their teams.

Magellan Federal delivers cognitive training and coaching services to over 700,000 Department of the Army personnel and civilians each year. We have gained valuable expertise and insights on implementation strategies that can enhance resilience development. In this white paper, we will detail our unique approach based on experience implementing systems that embolden leadership to invest in their most important asset—their people.

The Problem

Quite often, people are promoted into leadership positions because they excel at their job, which intuitively makes sense since they are likely to be top performers at what they do. What we find overlooked is whether people are ready to lead and influence other people. When they get into a leadership role something shifts and they can’t quite do what you thought and hoped they could.

Additionally, leaders face higher demands than the general worker population because they are responsible for their own performance plus those they lead. It is not uncommon to observe these individuals with higher levels of cortisol, an indication that their bodies are not adapting well to these demands. The ability to respond favorably following increases in demands is an essential quality for sustained readiness in a leadership position. Resilience is a term often used to label this quality, but resilience is a complex concept that is often misunderstood, and therefore treated reactively, not proactively within organizations.

Resilience is personal

Resilience can be defined as resources and processes that combine to restore equilibrium, counter challenges, or transform an individual or group. Resilience is a dynamic construct made up of personal and environmental factors such as hardiness, grit, self-efficacy, social support and other lived experiences and learning that combine uniquely for an individual response. Essentially, we all respond very differently to demands and challenges based on a multitude of individual and social resources. Given that these unique resources and processes are able to be influenced, resilience can change and develop over time.

Since leaders generally experience higher demands and resilience is malleable, Magellan Federal believes it is essential to equip leaders with methods to enhance positive adaptation following adversity, laying a solid foundation for increased resilience across the entire workforce.

Our Solution — Human-Centered Leader Training

Resilience is teachable

Research is clear that leaders play a significant role in the performance, resilience, and wellbeing of their people. Therefore, targeted training and coaching for leaders can be a force multiplier for a resilient workforce.

Our depth of knowledge in the science of cognitive performance is broad and deep, particularly in the psychophysiological mechanisms of learning, thriving, and resilience. We have learned it is valuable to first train leaders, so they are equipped to be resilient themselves and better positioned to support their teams. Leaders then need to be supported and coached how to transfer resilience principles to their peers and subordinates.

Our successful coach-the-coach approach has three tenets: Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading Teams.

• Leading Self: Helps ensure a wider swath of potential future leaders has the self-management skills which are foundational for Leading Others, particularly through volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Principles include:
  • Personal philosophy, values, and core beliefs (self-awareness)
  • Fueling behaviors and restoration (diet, hydration, movement, sleep)
  • Presence (mindfulness, authenticity, confidence)
  • Psychophysiological regulation (readiness for the task and situation)
  • Mental rehearsal (intentionality, deliberate practice, imagery)
  • Self-motivation
• Leading Others: Provides new and seasoned leaders the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the human side of leadership and how to have the most beneficial impact on the lives of those they lead. Principles include:
  • Build trust (consistent discipline and follow-through through the ability to lead self)
  • Develop psychological safety (transparency and vulnerability, applying presence in communicating with others)
  • Promote growth (feedback, mentoring, peer support)
  • Foster motivation (autonomy, supportive leadership, behavior)
• Leading Teams: Provides senior leaders a necessary opportunity to reflect and recalibrate their internal compass, adjust their approach to leading others at a larger scale, and align both with the goals of the organization so they can move forward with increased intentionality and commitment. Principles include:
  • Executive messaging, modeling, implementing and promoting performance psychology principles across the enterprise
  • Building trust in relationships (consistency in Leading Others across the organization)
  • Mental agility, situational awareness, pattern recognition (consistent yet adaptive)
  • Authenticity & Alignment
  • Cultural awareness and sensitivity

Guidance for Organizations

Focus on manager training and support

Meaningful growth requires the transfer of knowledge, demonstration, practice, feedback, adjustment, and repetition. Expertise is accelerated with the support of a coach who can provide both the right level of challenge or adversity and effective feedback to unlock solutions to overcome these challenges and facilitate growth. We have found our greatest success when we take a human-centered approach, arming leaders not only with foundational knowledge communicated with stories and science, but coaching through authentic interactions.

Organizations should support their leaders by:

• Training leaders on general learning principles and how to effectively teach psychological and interpersonal skills to their teams.
• Providing leaders ongoing coaching support in the following areas for improved thriving and resilience:
  • Establishing a secure base
  • Facilitating connection
  • Building and sharing meaning
  • Enabling growth
  • Reinforcing work-life flow
• Using a holistic approach that values principles of physical fitness, mental fitness, social fitness, and spiritual fitness, as well as targeting opportunities for change by leading self, leading others, and leading teams.

Providing growth opportunities in these areas will fill an often much-needed gap—the human dimension of leadership.

Guidance for Leaders

Based on our experience, we recommend starting with these individual steps to build a more resilient workforce:

• Develop deep personal awareness (e.g., purpose, vision, mission, motives, beliefs)
• Develop personal and team mindfulness practices
• Build systems and practices that help you be intentional with time, both yours and your team members
• Establish regular, if not daily, check-ins with team members
• Develop an understanding of what drives your team members
• Celebrate, cultivate, and grow team members strengths
• Express gratitude authentically and liberally
• Learn and respect team members’ boundaries
• Recognize and address the role of emotion and empathy in the workplace
• When facing change or adversity, reinforce a sense of community and shared meaning

Innovating for the Future: Digital Coaching & Mentoring

Many thought leaders in human performance and resilience lead with high-tech solutions and simulation exercises to accelerate learning and optimize performance. While there is utility in technological advancements, we firmly believe in the power of trusted relationships and high-touch engagement.

Magellan Federal recently piloted a digital training and coaching intervention with midlevel managers in the corporate space. The overwhelming majority noted a desire for ongoing human engagement both with an outside expert coach and with a community group. Unsurprisingly, these leaders felt a strong sense of investment in themselves as people but understood how the content, strategies, techniques, and skills would apply in both their work and personal lives.

We are engaged in product development of digital coaching and mentoring technology that will allow for follow-on support with tactical personnel as they rotate duty stations, deploy, or otherwise distribute geographically. We understand that trust is the bedrock of personal and professional development, and that trust is a uniquely human, high-touch phenomenon. Our vision for the near future is service provision that begins human-centered, customized to the client, augmented with technology that allows our coaches and mentors to remain connected and engaged beyond the training environment, affording individual leaders more timely, relevant coaching feedback.

If you are interested in learning more about Magellan Federal’s Resilience training program, please contact our director of human performance, Dr. Jon Metzler, at metzlerjn@magellanfederal.com.

For a downloadable version of this whitepaper, visit MFed Inform.

The role of being a leader is one that is of foremost importance to Paul Messier. As Senior Director of Federal Program Management, Messier, who has been with Magellan Federal since April 2014, works on programs that provide HR services to military members and their families. He is one of three Senior Directors assigned to the Human Readiness Division (HRD), where he leads six contracts that include 310 people located at 75 Army and Navy military bases around the world.

Messier shows pride in his leadership role by pointing out that everything in the Federal service delivery contracts is designed to ensure the human readiness of Service members and their families. He also points out that the same elements of human readiness that apply in delivering operational excellence to customers are relevant when engaging with Magellan’s own employees in a culture of servant leadership. “Just as military members and their families are serving our Nation; our federal employees and their families are also serving our Nation in their respective military communities. If we expect our employees to address the human readiness needs of their customers, then we as leaders have an obligation to attend to the basic human readiness needs of our work force. From that perspective, human readiness has a double meaning to me – one is operational and the other is organizational.”  Continue reading to learn more about Messier’s work with the Human Readiness Division and what being a leader means to him.

What cool, innovative projects are you currently working on?

Right now, I’m focused on developing a new leadership model for our division. This is a reality-based, relationship-driven leadership approach that emphasizes bringing our most authentic selves to the workplace and creating more welcoming environments for our employees that foster trust and transparency. It’s an intentional effort to promote the health, well-being, and overall human readiness of our employees by integrating leadership principles and practices across four key domains:

• Practicing authentic servant leadership that emphasizes emotional and cultural awareness.
• Promoting a healthy work environment that fosters unity and cohesion for world-class service delivery.
• Providing continuous professional development through mentoring and coaching of the workforce.
• Encouraging shared governance that empowers employees to inquire, innovate and make decisions to the maximum extent within their professional scope of practice, and recognize them for their achievements.

I think there is a need for a model that offers a framework and training tool for sharing these leadership principles with our mid-level and junior leaders.

Why is Magellan Federal the best place to do these kinds of innovative projects?

I believe that when we consider our overall strategy of bringing products and services to the marketplace, we should always focus on being compelling, contemporary, and competitive. So, when I think about our collective role as leaders, I think about how we can apply these same principles to leadership. In these uncertain times, employees are asking for more from their leaders and seeking a healthier work-life balance. If we want to reach the hearts and minds of our employees and retain our human capital, we’ve got to find the courage to show them our own hearts and minds…show them who we are and how much we care for them.  If we can do that, then our message will indeed be compelling, contemporary, and competitive.

What are your thoughts on Magellan’s culture? How has the culture impacted your projects?

Magellan Health and Magellan Federal leaders have enhanced our culture by opening an atmosphere of transparency. That culture will be propagated if leaders replicate positive messaging by flowing it down the chain and engaging with our employees. Leaders cope with change, and more change always demands more leadership. We have the right leaders in place and the messaging channels and mediums are fully evolved and robust.  The stars are aligned for a new leadership model that we can share with our junior leaders and employees. Our corporate vision emphasizes leading humanity to healthier, vibrant lives, so I believe our organizational culture should also emphasize leading our own employees to help them achieve healthier, vibrant lives.  That’s what gets me excited about leading my projects.

What trends are you noticing in the healthcare industry that are related to the work being done at Magellan Federal? Are there any lessons from other industries that can be applied to the work happening at Magellan Federal?

I see many positive trends, but I also see that the healthcare industry faces many of the same challenges as an industry in general. There are remarkable things happening with innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital apps that show great promise to improve healthcare outcomes.  But there are also issues and trends involving burnout of physicians and caregivers, politicization of healthcare, and issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. What I try to do is learn the lessons I can from what I see happening around me and apply what I’ve learned as best I can when I engage with my own employees. To me, the common denominator when we look at these issues always seems to circle back to the need for authentic, reality-based leadership.

Learn more about the various solutions provided by Magellan Federal here.

Tips for parents and professionals

To be sure, Covid-19 changed a lot of things. One of which was doubling the average amount of screen time for American adolescents[1].

• Pre Pandemic: 3.8 hour per day
• Current: 7.70 hours per day

It is important that parents, teachers, counselors, and others who live and work with children and youth become familiar with the ever-changing digital landscape to provide timely guidance and support. The following information and downloadable tip sheet will give you a good foundation to get started.

Influence and Information

To understand the degree of influence of digital media on children, we must first understand the speed and scope of peer-to-peer information sharing in the digital age. Due to use of algorithms built to share information on a global scale instantly, it is often difficult to immediately curb the spread of misinformation and propaganda on the platforms. Algorithms are digital code built to recognize engaging content and then deliver that content to audiences to generate higher views. The algorithm does not distinguish positive or negative types of viral content. As content can be seen by adolescents and parents or professionals in the same general time frame, this provides the ability to prepare an appropriate response.

What it means to “Go Viral”

When a piece of content becomes widely shared, is referenced in other content, and begins to influence the social structure of its intended audience, the content is considered to have “gone viral.”

To give you an idea of how quickly content can reach worldwide audiences, here are the viral rates for Tiktok:

• > 500 views in the first .25/hr
• > 10k views in the first 4/hr
• > 250k views in the first 24/hr
• > 1 million views in the 48/hr

Empowering Viral Content[2]

Not all viral content is bad. Some viral content empowers adolescents to be the change they wish to see in the world. It’s important to understand that viral content can be positive and widely influential. Positive examples of viral content include:

• Student-led peaceful protests—In the spring of this year, high school students from Boston, Chicago, and other cities across the Northeast organized peaceful walkouts to protest the unsafe in person learning conditions amidst rising regional Covid cases. These students passionately demonstrated for the safety of their teachers and classmates to demand access to virtual learning. This was an excellent example of our youth being the young leaders of tomorrow.
• Neighborhood cleanups—Throughout 2020 lockdowns, a viral trend showcased individuals standing in front of an area with litter and trash visible. Dancing along with a selected audio, the creator would stitch a transition using choreography to a new scene where the area had been cleaned and the garbage bagged. These videos slowly became more dramatic over the summer as creators became more competitive, however the end goal was always environmental cleanup.
• “Show Your Talent” Challenge—The “Show Your Talent” challenge of 2021 featured an original creator issuing a challenge to others to “Show Your Talent”. This video garnered significant positive feedback and resulted in people of all ages showing talents.

Destructive Viral Content[3]

Viral content can also be destructive and damaging, influencing individuals to engage in behaviors that result in the loss of life, property, or safety. Examples include:

• “Silhouette” Challenge—The “Silhouette” challenge involves individuals dancing provocatively, often using a filter to showcase a millisecond long video of the individual either nude or barely clothed, viewed through a lens such a “Heat Filter”. This portrays a lewd image under the guise of it being safe due to the filter. However, these videos can be downloaded and the filter removed through the use of apps, allowing that content to be recirculated showing the real, unfiltered video.
• “Morning-after-pill” Challenge—The “Morning-after-pill” Challenge resulted from adolescents opening the plastic device used for a pregnancy test. Inside this plastic device is a silica tablet, meant to absorb moisture and maintain the validity of the test. Adolescents mistakenly thought this tablet was a free Plan B pill and ingested the tablet. This misinformation spread quickly, resulting in such a negative impact that manufacturers of the pregnancy tests released public statements educating the public about the silica tablets.
• “Devious Lick” Challenge—The “Devious Lick” Challenge started as individuals being dared to lick disgusting surfaces, such as the bottom of a sneaker, a toilet seat, or the bathroom door handle. However, this trend quickly escalated to damage of property, with multiple schools reporting damage. Damage included sinks being torn from walls, toilets broken, mirrors broken, and soap dispensers stolen.
• “Who Want Smoke” Challenge—The “Who Want Smoke” challenge hit our local schools the hardest. In November of 2021, a viral trend began using a specific audio on TikTok referencing gun violence. The image provided is taken from the viral video showing Clarksville students coming around a corner pretending to be holding a firearm aimed at the camera. Over 50 students were suspended for participating in this trend.

These types of viral content provide misinformation which can be harmful or dangerous.

Benefits to Consider

It is critical to practice the language of the digital age on a daily basis. Linguistics is evolving at an unprecedented rate. This may create opportunities to connect with children and adolescents that were not previously available. Other benefits include:

For the Professional:

• Becoming more familiar with ever-changing digital landscape
• Understanding the evolving linguistics of the digital age child
• Faster and stronger rapport building

For the Child/Adolescent:

• Providing opportunity for discussion on current trends and topics
• Creating an environment for authentic growth and self-reflection
• Establishing a sense of trust and safety

Due to using this best practice, Magellan Federal counselors at Fort Campbell were aware of the “Who Want Smoke” trend prior to its arrival to local schools. This allowed the opportunity to have preemptive support for adolescents. Through this support, adolescents were able to have authentic conversations about the trend, its meaning, and how it could impact them.

Sites to Search

To stay on top of digital trends, we recommend actively searching the following media channels:

• Local news source
• Facebook
• Other social media platforms
• Tiktok
• Reddit
• Twitter
• Instagram

Pro Tip: Ask the adolescents where they spend their time online. Populations will differ by region and age group. It never hurts to ask!

Article originally published on MFed Inform. Visit to download free tip sheet.

[1]   Nagata JM, Cortez CA, Cattle CJ, et al. Screen Time Use Among US Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176(1):94–96. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.4334

[2]   Alfonseca, Kiara. Jan 14 2022. Students walk out over COVID-19 in-person learning conditions in schools. https://abcnews.go.com/US/students-walk-covid-19-person-learning-conditions-schools/story?id=82265171

[3]   Quinlan, Keely. Nov 23, 2021. Over 50 students suspended for viral TikTok video at West Creek High in Clarksville. https://clarksvillenow.com/local/over-50-students-suspended-for-viral-tiktok-video-at-west-creek-high-in-clarksville/

Millions of people are affected by mental health conditions each year. Unfortunately, more than half of them either delay seeking treatment or do not get help at all due to the associated stigma. Stigma causes people to feel ashamed, be concerned about being treated differently, or fear the loss of their livelihood due to something that is out of their control.

Mental health stigma is among the factors contributing to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) being less likely than White people to receive treatment.[1] In 2020, 5.7% of Asian Americans, 9.4% of Black people or African Americans, and 10.7% of Hispanic or Latinx people received mental health services, compared to 21% of White people.[2]

What you can do

With compassion and support, people can recover and lead happier, healthier lives. Treatment is available and recovery is possible. But overcoming stigma is a critical first step in the process.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers some suggestions about what we can do as individuals to help reduce the stigma of mental illness:

1. Talk openly about mental health—and discuss it no differently than physical health.
2. Show compassion for those with mental health challenges.
3. Be conscious of language—remind people that words matter.
4. Educate yourself and others—respond to misperceptions or negative comments by sharing facts and experiences.
5. Encourage equality between physical and mental illness—draw comparisons to how they would treat someone with cancer or diabetes.
6. Be honest about treatment—normalize mental health treatment, just like other healthcare treatment.
7. Let the media know when they are presenting stories of mental illness in a stigmatizing way.

Additional mental health support and resources for BIPOC

On July 20 Magellan Healthcare hosted a webinar, “Navigating mental healthcare: Unique challenges faced by the BIPOC community,” for BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month. Watch a recording of the webinar as we explore different roles in behavioral healthcare and overcoming stigma to help BIPOC feel more knowledgeable and comfortable about reaching out for help: https://www.magellanhealthcare.com/event/navigating-mental-healthcare/.

Visit Magellanhealthcare.com/BIPOC-MH for more information and resources covering racism, stigma and more for BIPOC mental health.

[1] “Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations” American Psychiatric Association

[2] 2020 SAMHSA National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Adult Mental Health Tables

Suicide claimed the lives of almost 46,000 people in the United States in 2020.[1] It is the second leading cause of death for children aged 10–14 and adults aged 35–44, and the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15–24.[1]

Now is the time to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding suicide. Learn more about the warning signs and what you can do if you suspect someone is thinking about suicide. Be the one to save a life.

Know the warning signs

• Hopelessness
• A negative view of self
• Aggressiveness and irritability
• Making suicide threats
• Increased alcohol or drug use
• Withdrawing from friends, family and society
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping all the time
• Changes in mood or behavior
• Feeling like a burden to others and giving things away

Take time to reach out

You can help give someone hope by showing that you care. Notice what is going on with people in your life—a family member, friend, colleague or even a stranger. By stepping closer and reaching out, you can become aware of those around you who may need help. You do not need to tell them what to do or have solutions. Simply making the time and space to listen to someone talk about their experiences of distress or suicidal thoughts can help.

Don’t be afraid to ask someone if they are suicidal

You may not think it is your place to intervene, you may be afraid of not knowing what to say and/or you may be worried about making the situation worse. Offering support can reduce distress, not worsen it. When someone is upset, they are often not looking for specific advice. What you can do is listen without judgment, be compassionate, and know about resources to get help like the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call, text or chat).

Additional suicide prevention resources and upcoming webinar

Register for our free webinar, “The role of mental health recovery in suicide prevention,” on September 22 to hear the inspiring recovery story from Stacey Volz, CPRP, CPS, Magellan Healthcare family support coordinator and a person who lives with mental health challenges and has lived through multiple suicide attempts. I will also be on the panel to share my knowledge and professional experience in addressing mental health and substance use challenges to prevent suicide, along with Andrew Sassani, MD, Magellan Healthcare chief medical officer, California, HAI and MHS, and Samuel Williams, MD, MBA, FAPA, Magellan Healthcare medical director.

Visit Magellanhealthcare.com/Prevent-Suicide for more information and materials to learn more and spread awareness about suicide prevention.

[1] National Institute of Mental Health, “Suicide” information