American Wellness - Together WeXL Empowering You Through The Creative Process

Rayshard Brooks. Daniel Prude. George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Atatiana Jefferson. Aura Rosser. Stephon Clark. William Lamont DeBose. Botham Jean. Philando Castille. Alton Sterling.

This is just a few names out of hundreds of Americans who have been victims of police brutality. In 2020, 226 black Americans were shot by police, while even more felt the implication of what this brutality could mean for their own future and the future of their families.

Police brutality is a mental health issue. 1 out of 1000 black men can expect to be killed by police during their lifetime. This fear causes stress and anxiety and impacts the person’s quality of life, the resources available to them, as well as their sense of self worth. Studies have shown that witnessing this violence in person, on social media, or in the news can traumatize communities and inflict PTSD onto children. Educators, Timothy Ervin of Providence St. Mel School in Chicago, and Dr. Desiree Anderson of University of New Orleans, discusses how police brutality is impacting their students, what “defund the police” means, and how allocating more resources, such as education and mental health services, is an important next step to correcting an American history of racial inequality and bias

231.47 million Americans are on social media. Social media can be a wonderful, amazing tool for us to connect, share our thoughts, and learn from others. However, as social media becomes more integrated into our daily lives, so increases anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses in Americans. Ohio University professor, Dr. Karen Riggs, and Therapist and LCSW, Marisa Floro, express how social media is manipulating our image of self, impacting our interactions with others, and what needs to be done in order to break from our obsession with posting and scrolling in order to use social media as a tool as originally intended.

For the Latin X community, who's also experienced to a certain degree being push out of their homelands, and leaving loved ones behind is having to make big decisions for a better life. Gabriella Deyi speaks with Maribel Martinez about the tremendous strain and how all of that weighs into their overall well being.

In 2015, the United States legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. While this was a significant and historic win, there is still work to be done. In progressive states like California, LGBTQ+ people are continuing to face discrimination within education, employment, housing, and in other areas of life. Maribel Martinez, Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs with the County of Santa Clara focuses on how LGBTQ+ youth are suffering from these discriminations, not feeling safe within “safe” environments (like school), and are often getting pushed out of the systems-- and at times, finding themselves in youth detention centers. Maribel also explains why early intervention is important, and how one, supportive adult, can save a young LGBTQ+ person’s life.

More than 264 million people struggle with depression worldwide. In the United States, depression is the leading cause of disability for people between the ages of 15 - 44. As the current pandemic rages on in the United States, bringing with it an environment of isolation, financial hardships, pain of loss, and other stressful triggers, how do you recognize when the “sadness” you are feeling is more than just being sad and are actually symptoms of depression. Dr. Elizabeth Kwo, a physician with over 15 years of experience in specialized healthcare, dives into what can cause depression (spoiler: there’s a lot), the symptoms of depression are, as well as how the healthcare system is building more solutions and care options with tackling depression.

In this special American Wellness episode, Dr. Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Kwo talks about her personal experience losing a child at 38-weeks of a full-term pregnancy. She believes that conversations like this are important to have.

“Among the 6.5 million pregnancies in the United States in 2008, about 1.1 million ended in miscarriage.”

Dr. Kwo talks to WeXL Creator, Gabby Deyi, about the mental and emotional trauma from miscarriages and stillbirths. Deyi’s mother, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression, experienced miscarriages prior to having her.

“Nearly 20% of women who experience a miscarriage become symptomatic for depression and/or anxiety; in a majority of those affected, symptoms persist for 1 to 3 years, impacting quality of life and subsequent pregnancies.”

Both discuss the public face of trauma and the controversy around model and influencer, Chrissy Teigen, posting about her stillbirth on September 30, 2020. Teigen is married to music artist John Legend.

“After a miscarriage, 68% of women were still upset 2 years after the event, and 64% reported that it affected decisions about subsequent pregnancies.”

4.8 million Black and African Americans in the United States are struggling with their mental health. Traumatized by a history of racism and demonization, as well as a present environment of police brutality and racial inequality, the pain seems endless and relentless. Unfortunately, within this vulnerable community, seeking mental health assistance is often stigmatized.

Professor and researched, Dr. Olusola Ajilore explains why Black and African American populations are often reluctant to seek help from medical professionals, how Police Brutality is causing PTSD in those who are only witnessing the violence, as well as how the answer to normalizing mental health aid in the community might be the diversification of the mental health industry itself.

In this episode of American Wellness, we explore intergenerational trauma among Native Americans with Jillene Joseph, the co-founder and executive director of the Native Wellness Institute and pathways to healing.

According to the American Psychiatric Association:-Approximately 2% of the U.S. population –6.6 million Americans –self identify as having American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) heritage.-AI/ANs have the highest poverty rate of any race/ethnic group, with 26.6 % living in poverty (The national poverty rate is 14.7%).-In 2014, approximately 21% of AI/ANs ages 18 and up reported past-year mental illness, compared with 17.9% for the general population.

Jillene Joseph is a citizen of the Gros Ventre or “Aaaniih” Tribe of Fort Belknap, Montana. She resides in Gresham, Oregon with her life partner and children. Twenty years ago Jillene helped to co-found and currently serves as the executive director of the Native Wellness Institute (NWI), a national social profit organization existing because of the lasting impacts of historical and intergenerational trauma.

The year 2020 has led the United States to a mental health precipice. The country is more divided than ever as Americans face historic racial and civic unrest along with the global coronavirus pandemic. As vulnerable populations face even more economic and societal injustices brought about by the COVID-19 lockdowns, feelings of fear, anxiety, and stress add to the country's mental health crisis. In 2017, 1 in 5 Americans were already living with a mental illness. It's projected that job loss and social isolation will only make this number worse. How are we expected to survive the onslaught of bad news and natural disasters when there is a lack of equity in our system, and more so on the individual level, an unwillingness to deal with our own mental well-being? American Wellness dives headfirst into the uncomfortable conversations surrounding mental illness and why Americans feel the way they are. We examine our past, present, and future to find the solutions that will unite and heal us. Together we heal.

American Wellness – produced at the WeXL Media Lab, which the Streamlabs grant helped establish – features WeXL Creator, Gabriella Deyi, whose recent journalism fellowship at the University of Wisconsin included on-air reporting for WKOW-ABC 27. Deyi, the current Miss Wisconsin USA, uses her platform to raise awareness of mental health issues – including those that afflict her mother and brother as she prepares for the Miss USA Pageant on Nov. 9. A first-generation American born to immigrants from Liberia and Dominican Republic, Deyi embodies WeXL’s mission and that of #Creators4BIPOC.