Undocumented Immigrants with Behavioral Health Issues Left Untreated
An estimated 45% to 71% of the 11.3 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States are lacking health coverage – comprising the largest group of uninsured individuals in the country. Of these, 725,000 reside in New York State.
This data have not yet accounted for the recent increase in the number of undocumented immigrants crossing the southwest border in 2022. Meaning, more and more undocumented immigrants are becoming vulnerable as they lack access to healthcare, specifically mental healthcare.
Existing studies on the mental health of this population reveal that living as undocumented in the U.S. is chronically stressful which places a toll on their mental health. With the current sociopolitical climate exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, life for the undocumented may be unbearable.
Our organization, Applied Behavioral Sciences (ABS), intends to extend its highly effective human betterment programs to be readily accessible for the undocumented population who are indigent and are in serious need of behavioral treatment. This undertaking may be possible with the help of individuals and organizations who would be willing to donate to this cause.
No access to behavioral health care
Except for emergency care, undocumented immigrants are mostly ineligible for state and federal healthcare programs like Medicaid and Medicare or most federal health benefits.
Undocumented immigrants are only permitted by law to access federal benefits that are deemed essential to preserve life or ensure safety in emergency situations, such as emergency Medicaid, access to care in hospital ERs, or access to healthcare and nutrition programs under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), under the condition of satisfying all Medicaid’s other nonfinancial and financial eligibility requirements in order to be qualified for these emergency care.
Some of them are more fortunate and are qualified for benefits that are only available in certain states, while others with sufficient income can purchase private health insurance (without the benefit of federal subsidies).
However, with a median household income of $36,000, which is over $20,000 less than that of the general population, most undocumented immigrants live in poverty and cannot afford to buy health insurance.
While many undocumented immigrants have been part of the labor force and contributed to the economic growth of our country, still there is a significant number who fall through the cracks and are in desperate need of help.
Being unemployed and ineligible for federal health care benefits, undocumented individuals with behavioral health issues such as substance abuse, gambling addiction, sex addiction, and mental illnesses, are left untreated.
Without treatment, behavioral illness has devastating effects on both the affected person and society. Untreated mental health disorders can lead to poor quality of life, unnecessary disability, unemployment, family breakdown, substance misuse, homelessness, and incarceration.
Very high rates of mental distress
Undocumented immigrants have risked their lives to cross the border to flee from wars, poverty, violence, persecution, and natural disasters, while some are survivors of human trafficking.
Most of them had hoped for a promise of a better life, but unfortunately, they have been living in the shadows in the U.S. – battling constant fear of deportation, poverty, and a mix of complex struggles—which create a toll on their mental health.
According to Dr. Luz Maria Garcini, there are “constant chronic stressors that [undocumented migrants] face in their everyday lives across multiple domains, including work, family (e.g., separation from family), discrimination, stigmatization, exploitation, socioeconomic adversity, and limited healthcare, among many others”, that make it hard for them to cope mentally and emotionally.
A systematic evaluation of 40 publications revealed that undocumented immigrants were more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder than other groups.
They may also experience a range of other mental health effects as a result of their undocumented status, including substance abuse, destructive behavior (joining a gang), and disillusionment, despair, helplessness, fear, or hopelessness.
In addition to PTSD and other psychological disorders, undocumented individuals are also at a high risk of suicidal ideation due to distress associated with social marginalization, intergenerational conflicts, and cultural stress.
Risk of incarceration
If these individuals are left untreated, they face a higher risk of incarceration. Inappropriate behavior or misinterpreted acts may result due to the difficulty in fitting in with society caused by mental illness that may lead to getting arrested.
Arrest and incarceration often destabilize an individual’s life. For some, even brief incarceration leads to adverse consequences, including loss of employment and future employment opportunities, disruptions in family life and social connections, and even loss of housing.
ABS is a leading agency providing services to justice-involved individuals referred by courts to provide behavioral health treatment. However, the courts are now swamped with undocumented individuals who have no means of access to insurance nor make out-of-pocket payments for behavioral care. If these undocumented individuals fail to attend behavioral treatment and make progress towards personal betterment and prevent recidivism they may have to serve jail time and may lose child custody.
The societal cost of incarceration
In the recent report released by Statista Research Department on August 5, 2022, the United States has the highest number of incarcerated individuals worldwide — having 2.1 million prisoners, with violent offenses as the most common type of committed crimes.
Incarceration in the United States has a notoriously high economic cost. Nearly 2.2 million American citizens are behind bars, rendering them unable to work and support the economy in addition to the roughly $80 billion spent on prisons each year in the U.S. According to Hedwig (Hedy) Lee, a professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, the price that inmates’ families must pay is still a frequently disregarded expense.
To keep inmates incarcerated in neighborhood jails, New York spends billions of dollars. An average New York county spent more than $225 to imprison one person for only one night in 2019 — this translates to more than $82,000 annually. In actuality, funds for prisons have in
creased despite a decrease in the overall prison population. Each dollar spent on the jail comes at the expense of spending money on other programs that could contribute to the development of safe and healthy communities.
There is a need to reduce criminal behavior and increase utilization of alternatives to incarceration programs. Prior studies indicate that expanding access to mental health care may be a successful strategy for lowering criminal behavior as it is found that about 2 in 5 people who were incarcerated have a history of mental illness: 37% are being held in state and federal prisons while 44% are in local jails and most have questionable behavior.
ABS offers human betterment programs as alternatives to incarceration, and where participants monitored by state parole or city probation can be rehabilitated. To avoid unnecessary detention clients can receive needed help if funding for treatment was made available.
Granting Free Access to ABS Human Betterment Programs
The ABS Division of Forensic Behavioral Sciences actively shares in the responsibility to correct defiant behavior and diminish criminal activity in New York by providing fiscally responsible clinical service in the specialties of forensic behavioral and mental health.
ABS meets the mental and behavioral health needs of clients seeking help and those referred by criminal justice systems, child welfare agencies.
As we envision a society where no one in need of behavioral health service is left untreated, we are advancing the need of the most underserved population: the undocumented immigrants.
With the help of our individual sponsors and corporate donors, we are getting more and more undocumented individuals to carry on with their ABS programs such as:
- Anger Management and Stabilization Program
- Violence Prevention and Intervention Program
- Addictions Rehabilitation Program
- Sexual Behavior Program
- Impaired Driver Counseling Program
- Gambling Treatment Program
- Women’s Stress & Emotional Support Program
- Men’s Stress & Emotional Support Program
- Supportive Parenting Counseling Program
Accessible behavioral treatment will improve people’s lives and make our communities stronger and more resilient.
Help us change lives for the better.
If you or your organization would like to take part in the provision of equitable behavioral health care access for everyone, click here.
Together, let us change lives for the better.
References:
American Immigration Council. “Immigrants of New York.” 6 August, 2020. www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-in-new-york
Berman, A., James J. García, Farzana Saleem, Shraddha Sundaram, and David Zelaya. “Living in the shadows: Undocumented people and the emerging role of psychologists.” American Psychological Association, September 2015, www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/communique/2015/09/undocumented-people
Cohut, M. “Why mental healthcare is not a safe space for undocumented migrants.” Medical News Today, 14 July 2020, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/why-mental-healthcare-is-not-a-safe-space-for-undocumented-migrants
Learn More
Domestic violence
Domestic violence is abusive behavior in a relationship used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. The most common myth about domestic violence is that it’s only physical. While physical abuse is undoubtedly a part of the picture -and the one that takes most of the public’s attention- there are other types, including sexual, emotional, economic, and psychological abuse. This type of violence affects people of all backgrounds and ethnicities and can happen to anyone regardless of their social-economic status, religion, age, or gender.
Why does someone become an abusive partner?
Domestic violence is not only caused by stress or anger control issues. It is induced by the abuser’s need to maintain power and control over their victim. The abuser achieves this by utilizing fear, intimidation, and threats to keep the victim from leaving them.
Abuse does not always cause physical injury. Emotional abuse can cause severe trauma and long-lasting effects on self-esteem, confidence, and the ability to trust others.
What’s more, the abuse can be active or passive, and it can take place in a variety of contexts, including at home, in public, and online.
In most domestic violence cases, there are warning signs before actual violence occurs—and if you know what to watch for, they become pronounced. You can subsequently protect yourself from falling into the pit of an abusive relationship where you may be stuck for a long time. Even if you can unshackle yourself at some point, the trauma may follow you for the rest of your life.
Red Flags to look for in a relationship
- Threats: Your partner might threaten to hurt you or your children if you don’t do what they say. These threats may include physical harm or taking away your children or pets.
- Isolation: Your partner might try to keep you away from family members and friends by using manipulative tactics like faking excessive jealousy. If successful, this point is dangerous because it isolates you from the people who care about you the most and are best positioned to provide you with valuable help when you need it.
- Physical injury: If your partner hits or otherwise hurts you—even if it seems minor— it is a red flag that he may have an abuse problem.
- Sexual abuse: If your partner has forced or pressured you into having sex, or if they have sexually assaulted you, this is also domestic violence.
- Emotional abuse: If your partner constantly insults you, puts you down, or makes fun of you in front of other people.
What is the abuser’s mindset?
It’s important to remember that most abusers don’t want to hurt their victims—they want them to submit to their wants and needs. But if an abuser feels like they can’t control their victim anymore, they’ll often resort to using physical force against them. If this happens in your relationship, you must get help before things worsen!
How can you protect yourself?
Seeking help is a difficult step to take, mainly because, as a faithful partner, you don’t want to expose your relationship secrets to strangers and put your significant other in embarrassing situations, especially when you think about the violent consequences that you might suffer by doing this.
However, you should always keep in mind that your physical and psychological well-being is your number one priority, ahead of any social obligation that you may consider as important.
An abusive relationship is not something you should endure, thinking that it will get better with time. It doesn’t. It only gets worse.
If attempts at communicating with your partner fail, your best hope is to seek professional help. Psychologists are trained professionals who know how to cure an abusive relationship or advise you to end it if there’s no cure to be found. Institutions like ABS Applied Behavioral Sciences have tremendous experience dealing with such problems. Dealing with
abusive behavior is one of our top specialties. ABS Applied Behavioral Sciences’ team of doctors, psychotherapists, and counselors has helped thousands of people turn their lives around through comprehensive treatment programs that take into consideration each patient’s unique situation.
What are the consequences of an abusive relationship?
The effects of domestic violence do not end after the last hit or the last bruise. The scars inflicted by domestic violence last a lifetime and beyond, affecting not only the victim but also their children and loved ones. Whether physical, emotional, or financial, domestic violence has lasting detrimental effects on family members.
If you’re experiencing domestic violence, there are many ways to get help. Remember, you are not alone, and there is always help out there. Resources are available to help you get out safely—and help keep yourself and your family safe from harm. You don’t have to live like this!
Learn More
How to Control anger as a parent
Being a parent is no easy task. The responsibilities, the emotional support, and the sacrifices that it takes are all a pretty heavy load to take, especially when you have to deal with raising a child.
There can be stressful times with children, who surely have compassion but have not yet developed the necessary understanding.
Subsequently, Parents get all sorts of emotions from their children during their time together. These emotions come in different forms such as anger, stress, and frustration, or sometimes just plain sadness or depression depending on the child’s nature and personality.
You as a parent will have to respond to these emotions in a certain way, and sometimes, you might find yourself feeling the same kinds of emotions as your kid, like frustration or anger especially if you live under other forms of stress in your life.
It’s not easy to be a parent. You have to balance your own needs with the needs of your family, which means making sacrifices all the time. That can be hard to do if you are struggling with anger issues, in this case, you would be putting your children at risk of developing their own problems down the road.
The best thing you can do for them is to seek help now to avoid those kinds of complications later on. because your number one goal as a parent is to provide your children with a healthy stress-free environment in which they can flourish and grow up to be healthy adults.
When it comes to dealing with anger towards children, it’s important to remember that these feelings aren’t always directed at the child itself; sometimes they’re directed at circumstances outside of your control. It’s okay for you as a parent to acknowledge these frustrations, but it’s not okay for you to take them out on your child!
Take a step back, breathe deeply, and try to understand what’s behind it
Anger is a natural part of life. We all have moments where we feel angry. The key is to not let those moments define who you are or how you interact with the world around you.
When your child does something that makes you angry, try taking a step back and thinking about it. Ask yourself, what might have led up to this situation? Sometimes kids act out because they’re tired or hungry or just want attention from an adult (even if it’s negative!) it’s that simple, always remember that those mini humans are not as complicated emotionally as adults. If they’ve been playing with new toys recently, maybe some of those pieces got lost under
furniture or thrown into another room accidentally during cleaning time…
After taking a step back, breathe deeply for 10 seconds or so. This will help you calm down so you don’t act out in harmful ways toward your kids! A split-second outrage can cause a lifetime of trauma for your child, and a lifetime of guilt and regret for you!
Try to recognize it for what it is—a simple emotion. So don’t let it control you or make you act in ways that might affect your kids or yourself. Sometimes we get so caught up in our frustrations with our kids that we forget to look at why we’re frustrated in the first place. Trying to understand what’s behind it, though, makes it much easier for us to deal with our anger constructively.
Once you’ve figured out what’s causing your anger, try taking some steps toward solving the problem at hand. If possible, talk with someone else about what happened (even if they’re not involved) so they can help guide you through this process or give advice on how best to deal with it.
Remind yourself that your child is still learning
It’s hard not to get frustrated with your child when they’re struggling to learn at home. But remind yourself that your child is still learning and that they need your help and patience more than anything, in their perspective you’re the god- like creature that provides for them and helps them in every situation, your anger and impatience can cause a lot of confusion for them. remember that They’re trying their best, but they’re not quite there yet.
Remind yourself of this when you’re in the middle of a fight with your child. Remind yourself that they are trying, but they don’t know any better yet. They are trying to be better people than they were yesterday, or last year, or even yesterday morning when you told them not to leave their shoes on the couch again and they did it anyway because they didn’t listen then either!
They’re just kids! We all had those moments where we thought we knew everything and then realized we didn’t know anything at all—and now we’re here with our own little ones who are going through the same thing.
Your children don’t have all the skills they need yet and can’t always understand what will make other people happy or sad—and vice versa! This doesn’t make them bad people; it just means they need more time and practice before they can really get it right all the time. You too will make mistakes as a parent and as a teacher, but that doesn’t mean you’re a failure. The most important thing is to use those mistakes as opportunities for growth and improvement.
Take time out of your day to do something else that makes you happy
You are a parent. You love your kids. They are the best parts of your life. But sometimes, they drive you up the wall! It’s easy to get angry at our kids—you’re tired, they’re tired, and you don’t know what to do next. But getting angry is not going to help anyone.
One effective way to deal with anger towards your children is by taking time out of your day to do something else that makes you happy. This could be anything—a walk around the block, reading a book, playing with a friend’s dog or cat (if you’re lucky enough to have one). It doesn’t take long for us to regroup and come back refreshed and ready for whatever life throws at us next! You don’t need to be perfect all the time, and neither do they. Just remember that there are other ways of handling anger besides yelling at your children.
Don’t take it personally
You’ve probably noticed that when your child acts out in some way, you get upset. You might even start to believe that your child does things just to make you angry. But the truth is, kids don’t have much control over their behavior; they just act out at the moment. It’s not personal! Sometimes they do things just because they’re kids—not because they’re trying to make us angry!
Try not to assume bad intentions when they misbehave; instead, focus on what caused them to act out in the first place (e.g., hunger, boredom) and address the root cause instead of just the symptoms (e.g., going out for dinner or playing a new game).
We also want to remind you that you can’t control everything your children do. They’re going to go through phases where they explore the world, learn new things, and try new ways of doing things—and sometimes those experiments result in some pretty frustrating moments for their parents! Parents need to remember this and try not to take these situations too personally.
Avoid physical force and threats
The use of physical force or threats is not appropriate in any situation when disciplining a child. Although it may seem like a quick fix for the problem, this type of discipline can actually cause more harm than good.
When the child feels that he or she has been threatened, this may cause the child to feel fearful of his or her parents. When this happens, it can cause a rift in the relationship between parent and child which can make it difficult for them to communicate effectively with one another later on, and plant the seeds that emotional barriers grow from.
Using physical force may make it difficult for the child to trust his or her parents again. This could cause problems down the road when they need help from their parents or other trusted adults in their life.
Additionally, when parents use physical force or threats, they teach their children that it is acceptable to use violence against others. If a parent hits a child with a belt, they are teaching the child that violence is an acceptable form of communication. This type of behavior will not only cause damage within the family unit but to the community in the larger frame as well. We know that dealing with an angry child is frustrating and exhausting. We also know that you want to do the right thing, but even so, the physical response should always stay out of the question, as it always makes things worse.
When to seek help?
Life can be harsh sometimes, and when it does it won’t care if you have kids or not. Living under a considerable amount of stress makes dealing with kids a lot harder than it already is. To the point where things start getting out of hand and you risk causing serious harm to yourself or your kids. That’s when you should take responsibility and seek professional help. Counseling, psychotherapy, or psychological treatment, can be a great help for you to overcome your anger issues and take some of the pressure off your shoulders. Institutions like ABS Applied Behavioral Sciences has tremendous experience dealing with such problems. With the most qualified team of doctors, psychotherapists & counselors ABS Applied Behavioral Sciences has helped over the years hundreds of thousands of people overcome extreme impulsive behaviors, mainly impulsive anger, aggression, sexual behavior, eating, shopping, gambling, and domestic violence. The comprehensive treatment programs that ABS Applied Behavioral Sciences applies, helps its patients take back control of their lives.
Cherish the beautiful things in your life
Children are the most precious gifts we can receive in this world. They give us the opportunity to experience love, joy, and happiness on a level that is impossible to describe. They are innocent and pure, and their minds are like sponges. that’s why we must be careful about what we say and do around them. And we have to do our best to provide the healthiest environment for them to grow up normally.
Learn More
Applied Behavior Science (ABS) seeks highly motivated and qualified New York State Licensed mental health professionals
If you are interested in becoming a part of our team, please contact us and submit your resume for any of these areas of interest:
- LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Workers
- LMHC Licensed mental health counselors
- LMFT Marriage and Family Therapists
- PhD. PsyD Psychologists
- Psychotherapy jobs
- MD. DO Psychiatrists
- NP Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
Why work with ABS?
Reliable Income
At ABS you get to practice your profession with a comprehensive treatment team that offers unmatchable clinical case support, administrative support and smooth telemedicine and in office systems that allow you to focus on doing what you love to do and not get overwhelmed by unnecessary bureaucracy.
Work Flexibility
Work from the comfort of your home work space on your own schedule or in one of the four ABS office locations in New York City. We have full time part time & and per diem telemedicine opportunities.
Requirements
- Licensed in New York State to provide therapy and counseling (e.g., LCSW, LMFT, PhD, LMHC, PsyD MD, DO. NP)
Experience in counseling for senior citizens, adults, couples,families, individuals and groups. - Please complete the application form and upload your resume and cover letter, your salary expectations and your work availability for immediate consideration.
NYCPG Announces the Release of an Online Screening Tool for Problem Gambling Risk
In honor of Gambling Disorder Screening Day (March 9, 2021) and Problem Gambling Awareness Month,
the New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG) is announcing the release of an online self screening tool for individuals who want to explore their risk for problem gambling. The tool guides individuals through a set of questions to help them examine their gambling behaviors and the possible consequences of their gambling activity. Individuals who complete the questionnaire receive personalized feedback and resources based on their own answers.
While it’s true that most individuals who gamble do so solely for entertainment and do not experience problems caused by their gambling, all gambling inherently involves risk. This risk is not only present in the activity of gambling, but also in the risk of causing negative consequences to their lives and the lives of those around them. For these individuals and families, gambling can have devastating effects to their lives. Effects can range from financial issues all the way to damaged relationships and lost jobs. Just as there are varying levels of gambling activity and negative consequences, there are also varying levels of motivation and awareness about our gambling activity and the risk involved. While some people are ready to reach out directly for assistance, support and resources, others may be just starting to think about how their gambling is affecting their life. Others may only be curious about their gambling activity and the possible risk that they have.
In an effort to reach all individuals in New York State, those who are ready for assistance and those who are simply curious about how their gambling may put them at risk for future problems, NYCPG has a variety of resources available. The newest of these resources is the online self-screening tool. The tool is available at https://NYProblemGamblingHELP.org/e-Screener/.
For more information about Gambling Disorder Screening Day in NYS, Problem Gambling Awareness Month and tools to use in your community visit: https://NYProblemGambling.org/PGAM/.
For a full list of 2021 NYCPG Screening Day Partners, visit https://NYProblemGambling.org/PGAM/ and click Screening Day Partners.