Mental health is at the heart of some of Oklahoma’s most pressing social issues. It drives trends in homelessness, incarceration and systemic instability — yet access to care remains a major challenge for those in the thick of it.
That was the focus of Snapshot: Mental Health, a collaborative journalism project examining the state of mental health in Tulsa and across the state. Tulsa Flyer, The Oklahoma Eagle, The Frontier, KOSU, La Semana and Focus: Black Oklahoma contributed reporting to the project.
The collaboration culminated with a public forum Monday night hosted by the Tulsa Flyer and The Oklahoma Eagle, discussing solutions for improving access to mental health care.
If you were unable to attend Monday’s discussion at 101 E. Archer St. or tune into the livestream, here are five takeaways from the free forum.
Stigma prevents Black adults from seeking treatment in Oklahoma
Through his reporting, Ismael Lele, business reporter at The Oklahoma Eagle, found only 30% of Black adults in Oklahoma experiencing mental health conditions have sought treatment.
“I think a lot of the hesitancy really stems from the history of medical racism and mistrust within the Black community,” Lele said.
Additionally, Lele’s reporting found only 2% of the country’s 41,000 psychiatrists are Black. But some professionals are hoping to change that, forming the Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance to open up new avenues for treatment.
Majority of detainees in the Tulsa Municipal Jail struggle with mental illness
Garrett Yalch, a reporter at The Frontier who covers corporate and government accountability issues, said former detention officers at the Tulsa city jail estimate about 70% of inmates suffer from serious mental illness.
“It’s a lot of homeless people. Tulsa police are getting called out to businesses and QuikTrips or someone causing distress in public,” Yalch said. “It’s that population that struggles with mental illness that is getting caught up there.”
The Frontier recently published an investigation by Yalch and colleague Ari Fife that revealed at least seven people died in the Tulsa Municipal Jail over the past three years.
Anosognosia is a ‘huge barrier’ to people accepting help
Michael Brose, a consultant for the Tulsa Day Center’s Blue Team, said anosognosia — a neurological disorder that prevents people from recognizing other conditions they have — hinders those suffering from mental illness from seeking treatment.
Brose previously served as the Mental Health Association of Oklahoma’s CEO for 27 years.
“We used to always see this as a symptom of schizophrenia, schizoaffective bipolar disorder, where damage is actually done to the frontal and right side cerebral cortex,” Brose said. “What’s located in that part of the brain? Insight. So, they have no insight into the fact that they have a mental illness.”
38% of people incarcerated in Oklahoma have a serious mental illness
Zack Stoycoff, president and CEO of Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, said 38% of people in Oklahoma Department of Corrections custody have a serious mental illness, while only 5.6% of Oklahomans have a serious mental illness.
“We are arresting people with these issues, these medical issues, instead of largely treating them, and that is a major issue with cost effectiveness and with human rights,” Stoycoff said.
He pointed to the need for policy solutions. Oklahoma City and Tulsa have both taken steps to address the problem, but the state needs to step up, Stoycoff said.
Schools and mental health providers need to work together
Christine Marsh, executive vice president of child abuse and trauma services at Tulsa’s Family & Children’s Services, said families are often unable to bring their children to therapy appointments during the school year.
“We want kids to be able to be where they need to be in school as well. The problem is that we need families in the therapy appointments too…” Marsh said. “If we don’t let kids go to treatment with their families, then they’re not going to get better, and not everybody can have everything addressed in a school-like setting.”
Marsh said parents are often pressured to make sure their children miss as little class time as possible, but that leads to children missing appointments and losing out on treatment.
Disclosure: Major support for the Snapshot: Mental Health series was provided by Healthy Minds Policy Initiative. News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
