Trigger Warning (TW): This blog contains mentions of suicide, psychaitric disorders, and misuse of recreational drugs. Refer to the additional resources below if needed.
Additional Resources:
Student Mental Health Services: https://www.queensu.ca/studentwellness/mental-health
Telephone Aid Line Kingston (TALK is open 6pm-2am)(613-544-1771): https://www.telephoneaidlinekingston.com/
Kids help phone (directed for people aged 5-25, but i believe will serve anyone) has a 24/7 text and chat line https://kidshelpphone.ca/need-help-now-text-us
As we approach the end of the year, we pass by a significant day to recognize the importance of mental health. October 10th is World Mental Health Day. Organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), this day serves to raise awareness for the mental health challenges millions of people face daily; among these millions is a large portion of the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (HoH) community. The rate of mental health problems is roughly doubled in the Deaf and HoH community compared to the general population (Batten et al., 2013). Understanding the driving forces behind this disproportionate impact is necessary to address the discrepancy.
The reality is that current environments and policies are unintentionally harming millions of Deaf and HoH individuals. A prime example is healthcare and mental health services. There are numerous communication barriers between healthcare practitioners and Deaf patients, especially considering almost all healthcare workers have no knowledge of ASL. Although they are legally mandated, there is a significant shortage, and as a result, they are not always provided.
On top of this, healthcare workers are often not trained on the lifestyles of the Deaf and HoH community and prescribe treatments similar to those of hearing people. There is also a large underdiagnosis of mental illnesses in the community due to an absence of interpreters between English and ASL. To add, Deaf individuals also perceive and display emotions, feelings, and thoughts differently than their hearing counterparts, creating a significant prevalence of misdiagnosis (Hall et al., 2017). This is because healthcare services are unaware of these differences and as a result, are incapable of providing suitable accommodations.
Many medical studies have reported a higher prevalence of mental illnesses in the Deaf and HoH community, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder (Diaz et al., 2013). Many believe these conditions are influenced and triggered by the prejudice and stigma Deaf and HoH individuals often face. Combining this with the inadequate health services available, the Deaf and HoH community is victim to worse mental health outcomes. One survey reported that 41% of individuals believe that communication problems and the prejudice placed on the Deaf and HoH community may be correlated with suicide, violent behaviour, and abuse of recreational drugs (Turner et al., 2007) (Anderson et al., 2018).
Additionally, more than half of the Deaf and HoH community cannot find accessible mental health services that appropriately fit these needs. In addition, the majority of healthcare professionals are not familiar with the Deaf and HoH culture. Therefore, they struggle to provide the multiple features critical to establish a trusting and effective patient-doctor relationship. These include social support (interpreters, Deaf and HoH community members, etc.), conversing, and getting an accurate patient history. When a Deaf patient has a mental illness, they can often be undiagnosed for most of their life.
On a more social level, Deaf and HoH individuals can unjustly face many barriers to education and occupation. These two determinants of health can often be a triggering point for mental health issues. Unfortunately, most healthcare practitioners are unaware of these differences and do not actively work to acknowledge these.
The reality is that numerous factors intersect to increase the prevalence of mental health issues in the Deaf and HoH community. With that, there are several ways the hearing community can support the Deaf and HoH community to dismantle these barriers. The most critical action could be the implementation of Deaf and HoH knowledge, culture, and awareness in medical training grounds. In addition, more funding should be provided for interpreters and Deaf-centric mental health services to ensure equitable access to competent services. Finally, the social determinants of health should be actively addressed at a higher governmental level to bridge the gap in mental health for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.
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