This week’s Wellness Wednesday will focus on Native & Indigenous Mental Health.

This group faces unique mental health challenges that are rooted in historical trauma and continued oppression such as colonization, boarding school systems, and limited access /incompatible mental health services. Here are some facts:

  1. Native/Indigenous people in America report experiencing serious psychological distress 2.5 times more than the general population over a month’s time.
  2. The concept of mental illness and beliefs about why and how it develops have many different meanings and interpretations among Native/Indigenous people. Physical complaints and psychological concerns are not distinguished, and Native/Indigenous people may express emotional distress in ways that are not consistent with standard diagnostic categories.
  3. Access to mental health services is severely limited by the rural, isolated location of many Native/Indigenous communities. Additionally, access is limited because most clinics and hospitals of the Indian Health Service are located on reservations, yet the majority of Native/Indigenous people in America live outside of tribal areas.

For more facts, information, and resources, you can see the links below.

Resources (not an exhaustive list):

By Gustavo Molinar, Mental Health Literacy Specialist