January 13, 2021

Good morning, MindSite News Readers. In today’s newsletter, you’ll find out how exercise – in this case, skiing across miles of snowy Swedish terrain while your compatriots cheer you on – is beneficial in preventing anxiety. You’ll also read about a new mental health startup that is virtually connecting Latinos in Iowa with therapists in Latin America. Plus, you’ll find out how a Denver-based supportive housing program is saving taxpayers money. 

The mental benefits of competitive cross-country skiing (in Sweden, at least)

All manner of research sings the praises of exercise for easing anxiety, but researchers in Sweden wanted to see whether this was true for skiers in the country’s popular Vasaloppet cross-country competition, according to an article in The New York Times. Researchers from Sweden’s Lund University and elsewhere compared 10 to 20 years of medical records of the nearly 200,000 race participants with an equal number of largely inactive people in a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. They found the skiers were 50% less likely to develop clinical anxiety than their fellow Swedes who were sedentary. However, researchers found that the fastest female skiers in the races were more likely to develop anxiety disorders later on than the women in the control group. No need to fret if you’re disinclined to strap on skis and head for the snow, though: A half hour of aerobic exercise most days “has good effects on your mental health,” said Tomas Deierborg, the director of the experimental medicine department at Lund University and senior author of the new study.

---

Se habla psicoterapia! Entrepreneur helps Iowa’s Latinos connect with psychotherapists

Carlos Arguello, a native of Nicaragua, recalls his mother grappling with depression and anxiety as a new immigrant to the United States. In 2020, the Grimes, Iowa resident launched Sevelyn, a digital startup that connects Latinos in Iowa with therapists based in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador, according to an article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. To address the mental health needs of Latinos in Iowa, who are growing in numbers, Sevelyn’s clinicians not only speak the language, they’re well-versed in Latino culture, which makes it easier for clients to open up. So far, Sevelyn has connected 150 clients to 25 therapists, and it’s looking to expand nationally, adding 145 more providers. The startup will also roll out peer-to-peer support this year. “Sevelyn is about bringing equity and parity to emotional wellness and mental health,” Arguello told the Gazette. Potential drawbacks: no insurance reimbursement and no oversight from mental health regulators.

---

Court gives Texas agency 90 days to overhaul plan for child mental health access

A recent report by court-appointed experts found that children in the Texas foster care system often languish between placements and don’t get the mental health support they need. Now Federal District Judge Janis Graham Jack has ordered two agencies to come up with a plan in 90 days, according to Austin’s KXAN-TV. The number of foster kids between placements doubled between January and September of 2021, and many end up sleeping in “essentially unlicensed locations,” such as state offices, hotels or motels, according to Myko Gedutis of the Texas State Employees Union. He said caseworkers are being pushed to stay with children through the night and lack the necessary expertise to provide therapeutic care. One solution recommended by the panel of experts: Build up community mental health access to help prevent kids from entering the system in the first place. “Our kids without placement, about 35% of them, are kids who entered foster care because they had an unmet mental health challenge,” said Kate Murphy, senior policy associate for child protection at Texans Care for Children.

---

New Urban Institute report finds supportive housing pays off

Many cities spend a lot of money on shelters and other short-term solutions for homelessness, but a five-year study in Denver shows that supportive housing – which combines affordable housing with mental health services and other supports – pays off in the long run. That’s according to a commentary by two affordable housing developers published in Governing, an internet publication aimed at public officials. The study compared participants in a supportive housing program to unhoused people not in the program and found that participants had a 34% drop in interactions with police. Plus, after three years, some 77% were still in housing. Researchers estimated that the program saved Denver an average of $6,876 per person a year, mostly through a drop in ambulance and jail costs. These findings suggest community leaders and policymakers should invest in long-term supportive housing “and improve the quality of life for millions caught in the cycle of institutionalization,” wrote Priscilla Almodovar, president and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners, and Deborah De Santis, president and CEO of the Corporation for Supportive Housing.

In other news:

A new book, “Cultivating Empathy,” encourages medical professionals to use empathy as a core part of their work and to ask about and understand patients’ experiences with trauma. “Even though health professionals have the most contact with people who have a history of violence, many of them are not trained or adequately prepared to discuss trauma with their clients,” writes author Kathleen Stephany, a registered nurse, certified counselor and psychologist in British Columbia.

A pilot study investigating a self-help protocol for Syrian refugees in Turkey showed that the program, Self-Help Plus, cut the risk of depression, PTSD and anxiety among participants who learned stress management techniques, according to a release from the World Health Organization. Six months after the pilot, just 22% of participants reported such symptoms, compared with 41% in a control group.

In 2015, California legislators concerned about racial bias passed a bill requiring law enforcement agencies to report on the race and gender of drivers and pedestrians stopped by police officers. The latest data, from 2020, has come in and it again confirms their fears. Black people were more likely than any other group – and about twice as likely as whites – to be searched, detained on the curb or in a patrol car, handcuffed, or removed from their car, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.   

---

If you or anyone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. And if you’re a veteran, press 1.