Interview with Dianne Ross, RN Founder and CEO of Araven Holistic Mind Institute (AHMI)

Interviewer: What are the percentages in terms of African-Americans being afflicted by mental illnesses being able to receive mental health services? At the core of the FBIM program is a holistic and bi-holistic approaches. Holistic means that the program touches the five aspects of a persons life to get at how mental illness has disrupted them emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially, and mentally. Bi-holistic means that ones life (bio) must be steered towards healthy inputs: good diet, good nutrition, good exercise, good financial pursuits, and so on because a shortage in any area will hurt the other four life aspects.

Ms. Ross: I have not been able to find any current statistics regarding how many African-Americans there are with diagnosed mental illnesses. Suicide rates and the like exist. According to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the suicide rate compared between African-Americans and Caucasian teens shows that African I believe that small, incremental steps to health-ness in each -American suicide is more than twice as frequent as that area are vital. Encouragement is vital too because with Caucasian teens. backsliding is the mental health problem that is human nature and inevitable. The focus aspect of this program is deAs a result of the lack of statistical information on mental signed to get the person to examine their role in the crisis that illnesses in the African-American or Black community, recently afflicted them. Araven Holistic Mind Institute (AHMI) surveys people during all of our functions to get ethnicity, age, gender, Also, I instruct participants on how their brains function, espeanecdotal, diagnosed and suspected information on inci- cially how the chemicals in the brain affect their feelings, dences of mental illnesses in our community. moods, thoughts, actions, physically and so forth. Learning about establishing good brain chemistry behaviors is a very Interviewer: How did you get involved in helping people important aspect of the FBIM program. with mental health challenges? Ms. Ross: My own personal experience. In 1992, I was I teach about how sleep cycles, fight or flight syndrome, dopadiagnosed with Bipolar I disorder I was a charge nurse mine a brain chemical or hormone neuron transmission activat Kaiser (South) Hospital in Sacramento, Ca. I could ity and its effects on various mental illnesses. Lastly, Ive been not sleep and experienced odd behavior. I was hospital- teaching about how important it is for a person experiencing ized and declared 5150, a danger to myself and others. mental health challenges to ask for help from a loved one in addition to professional help from a therapist or psychiatrist I was referred to support groups but I could not identify who is a medical doctor trained to deal with and prescribe with them because there were no African-Americans medications. peers in my groups. Blacks sometimes appeared in hospital group settings but not in significant numbers. NAMI As you can tell from the above, teachings active participation offered peer-to-peer, but no long term groups material- is vital to our program. I believe healing is a personal state of ized. So, I was in a cycle: hospitalized, released, doing mind a person must reach as much as outside inputs well, going to support groups and feeling uncomfortable, (medication, therapy and information) in bringing about recovrelapsing, and starting over. I learned how to recognize ery. triggers but not how to manage my illness and be proInterviewer: So what I hear you saying is that the difference ductively functional in society. These events inspired with Araven is that you offer long-term support groups? me to start AHMI in January, 2009 Araven is a non-profit IRS 501(c) (3) public benefit, tax donation Deductible Ms. Ross: No. We do not do support groups. We focus on Corporation. educating the individual on the mental illness and on the things that triggered it: internal and external. The thing that Interviewer: What are some of the holistic approaches came out of my experiences is that personal education at least that you have used to help people in the process of refor me is the key to personal change and illness management. covery and wellness? At Araven, we provide brochures, PowerPoint presentations via a Speakers and conferences once a year. Araven hosts a Ms. Ross: I believe in traditional and non-traditional methods of addressing mental health issues? I also be- concert where teens are involved. The teens also put on skits lieve that if you need and have been prescribed medica- where they act out mental illness behaviors to educate the audience. We call it edutainment because it does both: edution you should take it! I take medication so I am a cate and entertain. strong advocate for taking meds. If someone has stopped taking their medication, I try to find out why and Interviewer: Do you refer people to support groups? How are address this situation. people referred to your agency? One of AHMIs programs is the Focus Believing IndividMs. Ross: We are listed in the telephone book and we work ual Model (FBIM). Here, participants actively learn with community and faith-based leaders. We get referrals about their particular mental illness and receive one-onfrom pastors; we advertise and attend functions dealing with one education and input. mental illnesses and learning disabilities and by the word of mouth method. We want them to focus on the causes of their illness and understand their role in resolving the issue. Interviewer: What is the criterion to receive services from Araven?