Dr. Tanya Rogers serves as Edgewater Health’s chief integrated healthcare officer and previously spent five years as the director of family and youth at Edgewater in Gary. With over 20 years of experience in social work, Rogers recently hosted a talk on emotional intelligence and seasonal depression as part of the clinic’s “Mind, Body, and Spirit” series. While the holidays bring joy to many, a 2018 study found that African Americans and Latinos are significantly more likely to experience serious depression compared to whites. Capital B Gary recently spoke with Rogers about her expertise in mental health and managing anxieties during the holiday season.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Capital B Gary: Why is it important to consider mental health during the holidays?
Tanya Rogers: People go through a lot of trauma during their lifetime, particularly as some of that trauma happens during the holiday season. That’s something that if people don’t learn to accept that the trauma happened, I think that they tend to hold on to that. And that season, or whatever that typical holiday may be, makes it 10 times worse than it already is. It makes negative thinking 10 times worse than what it should be.
What would you say, might trigger some of those traumas? The loneliness of the holidays?
Well, there’s a lot of things that could trigger that. There’s all sorts of trauma that happens in people’s lives.
l’ll give you an example. I think one of the things that I spoke about in my presentation had to do with my husband, who passed away on Thanksgiving Day. Those types of things are always going to be there — and they’re not going to go away. But it’s how you think about that. At the beginning, when it first happened, I was not ready to accept that he wasn’t going to be here anymore, so it caused my thinking to be extremely negative. It didn’t help me until I learned to accept it.
To that point, what kind of resources do you think people can use to support their mental health during these times?
It depends on the person. Some people are not social people. And so they typically don’t want to speak with anyone; they suffer in silence. But I strongly suggest that people talk with somebody. Someone who you can trust, someone who you can confide in. It is not in our best interest to suffer in silence.
If we sit up and we’re just thinking by ourselves, we need someone else to discuss our trauma with. I don’t think we ever get over the trauma. I don’t think we ever forget the trauma. I don’t think I would ever want to forget the trauma. But the more we speak about things, the better off we are. Whether it be your pastor, the mother in the church, Big Bob down the street, a favorite aunt, or a favorite uncle, you definitely need to speak with someone about your feelings, particularly the negative ones.
How do mental health issues impact vulnerable populations?
They are affected by their economy, of course. And I don’t think people realize that. I believe that they’re at a disadvantage because if you don’t have your basic needs met, it’s going to cause mental health issues. Period.
You mentioned that you wanted to see some things being done about it. What kind of solutions or resources should be implemented so that people have support?
Integrated health care is a huge wraparound service you give to every individual you serve. So we’re not only addressing mental health but also physical things that should have been done years ago in the populations where we need it. So, at this particular time, if we get those wraparound services we have in place here at Edgewater Health, that will help improve it, but you have to have a follow-up.
We have care coordinators; once we provide the service, they need to go back in and follow up to make sure they’re on the right track. We have care coordinators to help the homeless, people who don’t have food and all of those wraparound services we need. But we need to make sure that the community understands that we can help get your basic needs met, but we also need your help. We can’t do this alone. But I really think that out of all of those things, the economy is a huge problem that continues to heighten mental health issues.
Do you think Gary’s economic status may impact the residents there mentally with their mental health?
Yes, ma’am. Undoubtedly. That’s a big factor here. Look at everything that doesn’t have any resources here. But the economy being the way it is and the lack of jobs here — it just exacerbates the problem. So you have a lot of individuals in Gary that, unfortunately, fall prey to the economic chaos that we have going on out here. They’re at a big disadvantage. The only way I can see a solution is to assist them and put wraparound services in place so that we can get them employment, regardless of their background. It’s small, baby steps to get those changes done.
Do you feel like people have conversations about mental health in Gary? Is there any stigma about considering mental health, and is there any support needed with that?
They always have conversations. They say, “I’m not gonna go to that crazy place. I’m not gonna go there. I’m not crazy. There’s nothing wrong with me.” Again, it’s just the lack of knowledge that people have when it comes to mental health. I really think that social media does not help. No, you’re not crazy. It’s not about that. It’s about everybody needing help sometimes. And we need someone to talk to who is not going to judge us. That is not going to have that bias against us. And I don’t think people understand that.
On that note, what’s your favorite form of self-care? How do you take care of your mental health?
I love to roller-skate! It’s so relaxing to me, and I don’t know why. I’ve been doing it for years. I started back with my son, and now I’m working with my grandchildren.
Self-care is very important. And you know, even at my age, I have to exercise because people do not understand the power of exercising. They need to get a weekly exercise routine. That helps with the seasonal depression as well. Exercise is the key.
Is there anything that I haven’t asked you about that you feel like is important for me to know?
The only other thing I’m going to leave you with is people need to learn to forgive. When you don’t learn to forgive, you’re not learning; you hold onto stuff, and that’s not good. We need to make sure we develop it, and they need to practice thinking positively. The negative thoughts will harm you physically and mentally. So, we need to learn to forgive people. And the power of forgiveness is something that, I believe, is the art of happiness.
If you need help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255 or dial 988.