There are many parts of New York City where it’s not easy for people to get the mental health care they need. To try to help, the American Psychiatric Association Foundation is working with different religious groups to help those in faith communities recognize signs of mental illness and connect people to the help they need.
“We’re not trying to turn people into doctors or have them diagnose or treat but what we have found is the best bridge to get people to the care they need is to better understand when behavior might be difficult or troubled,” said Rawle Andrews, executive director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, which is partnering with churches, mosques, and other faith communities to help leaders recognize signs of mental illness and connect people to support. In many cases, faith leaders serve as de facto mental health professionals when access to mental health care is limited.
The Foundation has started a program in the Bronx, with psychiatric fellows in health clinics and members of religious groups being trained in mental health awareness. APAF has embedded nine psychiatric fellows in Bronx-area health clinics, trained faith community members in mental health awareness, and launched an online resource center for communities across the borough.
Andrews says sometimes other problems have to be solved before mental health can be tackled.
“One of the things we have heard from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is if somebody has a concern about food, housing or mobility it’s hard for them to focus on something like their mental health,” he said.
Andrews said he felt faith leaders could play a major role in this. He said a study by the APA showed that 60% of “persons of faith believe that in order to achieve mental well-being, it must be tied to spirituality — you cannot separate the mind, the body, and the soul from one another.”